Born 1971, Indianapolis, IN
Lives and works in New York City
jeffreysbeebe[at}gmail{dot}com
Over the past twenty years, I have created the world of Refractoria, a comprehensive imagino-ordinary world that is equal parts autobiography and pure fantasy. Each drawing that I complete—whether it is a map, a narrative drawing, portraits,a collection of tarot cards, a geneology chart, etc—is a further exploration of the world of Refractoria.
Refractoria is heavily indebted to all types of prehistoric and early world mythology, as well as all types of 20th c. fantasy and science-fiction culture, such as Dune, Lord of the Rings and the stories of Jack Vance. In addition, in the late 1970s, I was introduced to the Dungeons & Dragons role playing game which had a huge impact on the way I saw the world and organized my experiences.
For the last two years, I have focused on creating drawings depicting the cosmogony, creation myths and various pantheons of Refractoria.
In general, I draw every day—it is a habit I've had since I was a kid.
I graduated from Chicago's American Academy of Art in 1999 with a BFA. I received my MFA from the School of Visual Arts in 2006 here in NYC.
I teach traditional drawing techniques along with some digital basics (Photoshop/Illustrator) and even the occasional design class at the New School in Manhattan.