The Art of Jock Bartley

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JOCK BARTLEY is best been known for his guitar playing. He’s been called one of the most melodic and soulful guitarists in all of rock and pop music. Lead guitarist and band leader of FIREFALL, Jock influenced a whole generation of rock and country rock guitar players of today. FIREFALL earned three gold and two platinum records in the late 1970’s and enjoyed massive radio air play with hit songs including ‘You Are The Woman,’ Just Remember I Love You,’ ‘Strange Way,’ ‘Cinderella,’ ‘So Long,’ Livin Aint Livin,’ ‘Mexico’ and others. Firefall toured around the United States and world with acts including Fleetwood Mac, The Doobie Brothers, The Band, REO Speedwagon, Heart, Kenny Loggins and many many others. Jock has jammed on stage with Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Dan Folgelberg, John Mayall and other top artists.
Growing up in the heartlands near Hutchinson, Kansas, Jock was exposed early on to a wide variety of creative expression. His mother, Polly, a piano/accordian player and singer had played professionally after graduating college in the 1930’s - later as a full-time mother, she was a performer and music arranger with Sweet Adelines barbershop groups. Singing and music was always in the Bartley house. Jock’s father, Frank, graduated from the Chicago Institute of Art and briefly had been an magazine illustrator and advertising artist before WWII broke out and he enlisted in the Navy as a flight instructor – settling down as a family man, he worked numerous different jobs and careers in his life, but was unable to return to any artistic endeavors until after his retirement.
From early in elementary school, Jock showed exciting promise as an artist with his colorful and expressive creations. He spent much of his free time drawing, coloring and experimenting with many different mediums. As problems between his parents grew, he found escape and serenity in art and his creative play – that escape and ‘disappearing into a creation’ is still manifest today. When the Bartley family moved from rural Kansas to the mountains above Colorado Springs, Colorado, the stage was set.
“I was so very fortunate and blessed to have two creative mentors early in my life, one in music, one in art. They gave me inspiration, a wonderful foundation and the technical skills to pursue my creative expression to the fullest. Without them, my life and career would’ve been very very different.”
Within a few months, his mom had found the world famous guitarist and instructor, Johnny Smith, who had recently dropped out of the New York jazz scene and moved to Colorado. Johnny had made numerous jazz albums on the Verve record label, the most famous “Moonlight In Vermont” featured Stan Getz. He became one of Johnny’s first students, his youngest at 8 1/2 years old. Jock has called that tutelage and relationship with the master musician, “about the best thing that ever happened to me.”
While in Jr. High, a new art teacher came into the Manitou Springs school system from California. Michael Cellan was young, free thinking and would become Jock’s creative and artistic mentor. Mr. Cellan pushed the young artist, not settling for ‘average work,’ at times assigning additional challenging projects to the budding artist. Jock painted sets for plays, large banners for school events, hand drew posters for his first band’s (The Countdowns) performances. All the while in school, Jock grew up thinking he could ‘do anything’ creative – and he was encouraged by his mother and the two creative ‘mentors’ in his life. He dove into drama and school plays, played basketball and baseball, wrote stories and poems, painted and drew incessantly. In high school, he honed creative skills and geared up to going to college as an Art Major.
Jock graduated high school in 1968 and enrolled at The University of Colorado in Boulder as an art major. He did well enough in his first (and only) year but decided that going to college wasn’t the direction he wanted to keep pursuing. When the fateful decision confronted him about what he wanted to do with his life, he said, “It was a very simple decision. Music won out. Playing the guitar was the best thing I did, the most enjoyable and fun. I decided to pursue music full time.” He dropped out after only one year at C.U. and dove into the Boulder/Denver music scene, which was very active at that time.
When Tommy Bolin quit the band Zephyr, they needed a hot young lead guitarist to fill the void. Jock was asked to join and did so, recording their 3rd album with them, ‘Sunset Ride.’ The band broke up after only about a year and Jock was again available. In 1972, Gram Parsons (ex-Byrds and Flying Burrito Bros. Frontman/singer) came through Boulder with his new band, The Fallen Angels featuring Emmy Lou Harris. Their first night on the road was a near disaster as their guitar player wasn’t up to snuff. Jock got the call to audition and two days later was on the bus to Texas. His second night as a Fallen Angel, Neil Young and Linda Rondstadt came and sat in in Houston Texas (it was the first time Emmy Lou and Linda ever met or sang together). From that point on in his career, things just took off. In New York City, playing at the infamous Max’s Kansas City Club, Jock met Rick Roberts, a stellar singer/songwriter who had replaced Gram in the Burrito Bros. When they realized they both lived in Boulder, they vowed to get together. When they did, the musical sparked flew and FIREFALL was soon formed. The rest is history.
Lions For years, Jock was so consumed by his skyrocketing music career, any artistic pursuits took a back seat, way back in the bus. Though he conceptualized and helped design Firefall’s striking first album cover – the famous blue sky with comet – and was the band’s liason with the record company’s Art Director, he didn’t do any art for quite some time. Slowly as the years passed and Firefall’s career cooled somewhat, Jock re-discovered his paints and paint brushes. One of his first real painting efforts resulted in the painting for his daughter Jessica, one year old at the time in 1987, ‘Lions.’ That painting was his first inkling that he might actually be able to have an art ‘career.’ In the 80s and 90s, Jock began painting and sketching much more – his love of ‘the slower creation’ of paint upon canvas resurfaced. Soon he was back in the swing of things and looking at how to ‘start a new career.’

Moonlight Red He began to have a number of local Colorado showings of his work, including major exhibits with prominent ‘rock and roll artists,’ Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Grace Slick, John Entwhistle of the Who, John Cougar Mellencamp, David Bowie, Jerry Garcia, Janis Joplin and many others. Jock’s diverse work in a number of mediums - acrylic paints, oil paints and pastels - is always colorful and bold. His artwork has begun getting widespread attention, critical acclaim and is starting to actually sell. Yes, art can be a business too.

The Night The World Changed Jock’s art has hit the national and international scene in a big way with the August 2006 release of Boxigami Book’s “BEATLES ART – Fantastic New Artwork of The Fab Four.” He has four of his Beatles paintings in the coffee table book and was asked by the Publishers to write the FOREWORD. “What an incredible and humbling honor to be asked to writing the Foreword in a book about ‘the best band ever.’ Borders Books will be having a number of ‘book signing’ events, starting first in Colorado in October 2006 and expanding into selected cities nationwide before Christmas.
Soon on this website, many of Jock Bartley’s pieces of art will be offered for sale – giclee prints on canvas, posters, T-shirts, etc.

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©2006 J.J.B. Art Enterprises

JOCK BARTLEY is best been known for his guitar playing. He’s been called one of the most melodic and soulful guitarists in all of rock and pop music. Lead guitarist and band leader of FIREFALL, Jock influenced a whole generation of rock and country rock guitar players of today. FIREFALL earned three gold and two platinum records in the late 1970’s and enjoyed massive radio air play with hit songs including ‘You Are The Woman,’ Just Remember I Love You,’ ‘Strange Way,’ ‘Cinderella,’ ‘So Long,’ Livin Aint Livin,’ ‘Mexico’ and others. Firefall toured around the United States and world with acts including Fleetwood Mac, The Doobie Brothers, The Band, REO Speedwagon, Heart, Kenny Loggins and many many others. Jock has jammed on stage with Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Dan Folgelberg, John Mayall and other top artists. Growing up in the heartlands near Hutchinson, Kansas, Jock was exposed early on to a wide variety of creative expression. His mother, Polly, a piano/accordian player and singer had played professionally after graduating college in the 1930’s - later as a full-time mother, she was a performer and music arranger with Sweet Adelines barbershop groups. Singing and music was always in the Bartley house. Jock’s father, Frank, graduated from the Chicago Institute of Art and briefly had been an magazine illustrator and advertising artist before WWII broke out and he enlisted in the Navy as a flight instructor – settling down as a family man, he worked numerous different jobs and careers in his life, but was unable to return to any artistic endeavors until after his retirement. From early in elementary school, Jock showed exciting promise as an artist with his colorful and expressive creations. He spent much of his free time drawing, coloring and experimenting with many different mediums. As problems between his parents grew, he found escape and serenity in art and his creative play – that escape and ‘disappearing into a creation’ is still manifest today. When the Bartley family moved from rural Kansas to the mountains above Colorado Springs, Colorado, the stage was set. “I was so very fortunate and blessed to have two creative mentors early in my life, one in music, one in art. They gave me inspiration, a wonderful foundation and the technical skills to pursue my creative expression to the fullest. Without them, my life and career would’ve been very very different.” Within a few months, his mom had found the world famous guitarist and instructor, Johnny Smith, who had recently dropped out of the New York jazz scene and moved to Colorado. Johnny had made numerous jazz albums on the Verve record label, the most famous “Moonlight In Vermont” featured Stan Getz. He became one of Johnny’s first students, his youngest at 8 1/2 years old. Jock has called that tutelage and relationship with the master musician, “about the best thing that ever happened to me.” While in Jr. High, a new art teacher came into the Manitou Springs school system from California. Michael Cellan was young, free thinking and would become Jock’s creative and artistic mentor. Mr. Cellan pushed the young artist, not settling for ‘average work,’ at times assigning additional challenging projects to the budding artist. Jock painted sets for plays, large banners for school events, hand drew posters for his first band’s (The Countdowns) performances. All the while in school, Jock grew up thinking he could ‘do anything’ creative – and he was encouraged by his mother and the two creative ‘mentors’ in his life. He dove into drama and school plays, played basketball and baseball, wrote stories and poems, painted and drew incessantly. In high school, he honed creative skills and geared up to going to college as an Art Major. Jock graduated high school in 1968 and enrolled at The University of Colorado in Boulder as an art major. He did well enough in his first (and only) year but decided that going to college wasn’t the direction he wanted to keep pursuing. When the fateful decision confronted him about what he wanted to do with his life, he said, “It was a very simple decision. Music won out. Playing the guitar was the best thing I did, the most enjoyable and fun. I decided to pursue music full time.” He dropped out after only one year at C.U. and dove into the Boulder/Denver music scene, which was very active at that time. When Tommy Bolin quit the band Zephyr, they needed a hot young lead guitarist to fill the void. Jock was asked to join and did so, recording their 3rd album with them, ‘Sunset Ride.’ The band broke up after only about a year and Jock was again available. In 1972, Gram Parsons (ex-Byrds and Flying Burrito Bros. Frontman/singer) came through Boulder with his new band, The Fallen Angels featuring Emmy Lou Harris. Their first night on the road was a near disaster as their guitar player wasn’t up to snuff. Jock got the call to audition and two days later was on the bus to Texas. His second night as a Fallen Angel, Neil Young and Linda Rondstadt came and sat in in Houston Texas (it was the first time Emmy Lou and Linda ever met or sang together). From that point on in his career, things just took off. In New York City, playing at the infamous Max’s Kansas City Club, Jock met Rick Roberts, a stellar singer/songwriter who had replaced Gram in the Burrito Bros. When they realized they both lived in Boulder, they vowed to get together. When they did, the musical sparked flew and FIREFALL was soon formed. The rest is history. For years, Jock was so consumed by his skyrocketing music career, any artistic pursuits took a back seat, way back in the bus. Though he conceptualized and helped design Firefall’s striking first album cover – the famous blue sky with comet – and was the band’s liason with the record company’s Art Director, he didn’t do any art for quite some time. Slowly as the years passed and Firefall’s career cooled somewhat, Jock re-discovered his paints and paint brushes. One of his first real painting efforts resulted in the painting for his daughter Jessica, one year old at the time in 1987, ‘Lions.’ That painting was his first inkling that he might actually be able to have an art ‘career.’ In the 80s and 90s, Jock began painting and sketching much more – his love of ‘the slower creation’ of paint upon canvas resurfaced. Soon he was back in the swing of things and looking at how to ‘start a new career.’ He began to have a number of local Colorado showings of his work, including major exhibits with prominent ‘rock and roll artists,’ Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Grace Slick, John Entwhistle of the Who, John Cougar Mellencamp, David Bowie, Jerry Garcia, Janis Joplin and many others. Jock’s diverse work in a number of mediums - acrylic paints, oil paints and pastels - is always colorful and bold. His artwork has begun getting widespread attention, critical acclaim and is starting to actually sell. Yes, art can be a business too. Jock’s art has hit the national and international scene in a big way with the August 2006 release of Boxigami Book’s “BEATLES ART – Fantastic New Artwork of The Fab Four.” He has four of his Beatles paintings in the coffee table book and was asked by the Publishers to write the FOREWORD. “What an incredible and humbling honor to be asked to writing the Foreword in a book about ‘the best band ever.’ Borders Books will be having a number of ‘book signing’ events, starting first in Colorado in October 2006 and expanding into selected cities nationwide before Christmas. Soon on this website, many of Jock Bartley’s pieces of art will be offered for sale – giclee prints on canvas, posters, T-shirts, etc.

Home \| Music Home \| Blindside Reviews \| Music Bio \| Winged Horse \| Tour Dates \| Firefall \| Contact
Art Home \| About the Artist \| Beatles Art Book \| News & Events \| Calendar \| Scrapbook \| Price List