Jasper Goodall is the kind of artist whose work sticks with you: once you see it, you'll always recognize its iconic look afterwards. A friend did me a great service by introducing me to his work, and I found myself consistently fascinated with his bold use of color and pattern. Part homage to the classic rock posters of the sixties and part visions of modern life at its most chic, Goodall creates contemporary fantasy art -- of the sort you wouldn't be embarrassed to hang in your living room.

Jasper was born in England in 1973 and grew up under the tutelage of parents who encouraged his love of art and supported his pursuit of it. By age 14, he was sure that he wanted a career in the arts. After completing a Foundation year at Birmingham's Bournville college of art, he went on to get his BA in Illustration at the University of Brighton, graduating during the nineties and heading full steam towards what he dreamed of doing for a living - creating full time.

While Jasper's rise to popular status may seem a blur to the casual onlooker, he certainly put in his time as a freelance illustrator in both commercial and editorial capacities. His work with once-popular print magazine The Face pushed his work into the public eye and created a buzz around his name. Since that time, he has gone on to work for many major companies, including MTV, Gucci, Nike, Adidas, Coca-Cola, BMW and more.

If Goodall's work looks familiar to you, it may be because you've seen it so often imitated: in fact, so many people have attempted to copy the style that its become a genre of its own. Of course, he is frequently asked where he gets his ideas (as if that was a pool we could all draw from -- if only everyone could so so lucky!). While he doesn't have any key secret to the hiding place of his muse, he does name a long list of influences, including David Lachappelle, Helmut Newton, Tim Brett Day, Ellen von Unwerth, Aubrey Beardsley, Erte, Victor Moscoso, John Maeda, C18th & 19thJapanese Print, Tibetan art and sculpture, Push Pin Studio, 70's logo design and packaging, and Edmund Dulac.

In addition to his illustration work, Goodall also dabbles in photography, works with Product of God Online Gallery producing artists prints, and recently has launched a luxury swimwear label: JG4B.

Although Goodall has achieved tremendous success, he seems to bear it up quite respectably. When asked on his website JasperGoodall.com about advice for young hopefuls to enter his line of work, he gives good, sound advice: don't spend too much time staring at other people's work as not to lose your personal style and end up imitating theirs. The next big thing, he predicts, will be something that no one has seen before, rather than a rehash of another person's style. People say it's all been done, but who can say if that old adage rings true: perhaps it's merely a matter of how you perceive it.

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