The Borisography: L

Although it is undated it is known that this was painted in 1977.

Also used as promotional card for the Boris With Julie card set.

Julie Bell painted the cover for issue #1.

This was also produced as a 24" x 36" poster.

Titled Dr Octopus on the card, this female version is described elsewhere as Dr Octopus II and Lady Octopus. I attempted to read up the biographies of the characters but, not being a great lover of the superhero genre, I eventually lost interest! My understanding is that the character Carolyn Trainer took over the role after the death of Dr Otto Octavius, the original Dr Octopus, and relinquished it after his eventual resurrection.

The central figure is Athena Lee, a former (now) USA champion bodybuilder. She also features in some of Boris' Joe Weider ads.

On the CD the image is in fact a duplication of Leda & the Swan. In Fantasy Art Techniques the title is given as Last Battle.

The models are Boris and his then wife Doris. According to Dorian, it was he that took the reference photo: he heard his name being called and upon entering the studio found his parents posed in front of the camera whereupon Boris exhorted him to "…just press the button!"

Painted 1978 (painting undated - unusual for Boris.)

By making this a battle between a human and a robot Boris has avoided this being a gory scene (but I know a computer or two that might disagree with this assessment!)

This is the sole new entrant published in the Images of Josephine card set, which features mostly photographs taken by Boris and Julie Bell and which they use as reference when painting. He has also published a book of his photographs, entitled Bodies by Boris. This book and most of the card set don't interest me, as I admire his artwork, not his reference material.

A modified version, under the title The Silver City: Gilsine's Tale, was used for the 2000 Fantasy Calendar.

Most images of this painting have been recreated from the magazine's cover which has various parts, especially the top, obscured by the masthead etc. My thumbnail is taken from the actual painting and, as such, differs from the other versions in circulation.

Although signed the painting does not show a year – I would guess that it dates from 1973.

Although Mirage does not use any titles, this painting is referred to as Jungle in Boris' introduction. I have since discovered that the french version of the book, which does have some titles, also uses this same name. Despite all this, it is more commonly referred to as Leather Jacket.

At first glance this appears to be the scene from Leather Jacket viewed from the other side but it's not. The girl would have to be behind the beast to make it the same scene.

Greek Mythology: Leda was one of the many young ladies who were "seduced" (frequently unwillingly) by Zeus and subsequently punished by his wife Hera. In this instance, he charmed her as a swan, then changed form when he was close enough.

It is possible that the book contains other Boris artwork but as I don't have access to it this question will have to remain unanswered for the time being,

A digitally modified version was used in the 2007 Fantasy Calendar under the title Disguised.

A female demon of Jewish folklore, Lilith was Adam's first wife. When Adam attempted to dominate her, she cursed him and flew away. Lilith then spent her time coupling with demons of the air and sea, often generating great typhoons from the excitement.
From the 1994 calendar. Offered for sale on the official Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell Web site under the title Sea.

The similarity to the 1980 painting Jungle, of Mirage fame, is obvious and it may well have been the inspiration for that painting.

The painting has an interesting mixture of Boris' normal realistic work and flat tattoo-style components.

[CD1 has a file with the name LOCHNESS.JPG which is, unfortunately, a duplicate of the image for Lavalite World. Presumably it should have contained this image.]

The painting is undated but would probably have been completed in 1978.

Probably completed in 2019 because a photo taken during the class shows it as nearly finished at that time.

The artwork was also available as a poster which gives a copyright year of 1976 - presumably this relates to the poster's publication rather than the artwork.

Loria, a powerful enchantress in Slavic mythology, knew of a secret cave where a magical jewelled fish named Alionu lived. When she visited Alionu, Loria would bring offerings to feed him. In return, he would grant her wisdom and magic.

The painting was also used for rhe month of June, and the cover, of the 2015 Fantasy Calendar.

This is the sole new entrant published in the Images of Josephine card set, which features mostly photographs taken by Boris and Julie Bell and which they use as reference when painting. He has also published a book of his photographs, entitled Bodies by Boris. This book and most of the card set don't interest me, as I admire his artwork, not his reference material.

"Lucky Teela Brown" by Boris Vallejo. I asked Boris to do a pinup … and he astounded me with much more than expected: a cover-quality illustration with a background and a jaunty little swagger stick for Teela.

Although it is not signed or dated I think it is safe to say that this was painted in 2017 because the advertisement ran from April 2018.

This painting appeared, in modified form, in the 2008 Fantasy Calendar under the title Creation.

A modified version under the title Tragedy Falls was used in the 2007 Fantasy Calendar.

The other paintings may be seen at I Love You So and Mermaid Love.

As with the other Lynx ads, the painting is unsigned but a signature was shown on the published version which, I believe, showed the year 2004.