The worlds of superheroes and original, imaginative creatures brought to life by artist Jason Rodriguez will soon be on display at Montgomery County Community College.  

MCCC’s Montco Cultural Center will host the exhibition “Jason Rodriguez: A Feast of the Fantastic” Friday, Oct. 17 to Saturday, Dec. 6 in the Montco Cultural Center Fine Arts Center Gallery on the Blue Bell Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422. The gallery is free and open to the public, and parking is free.

Rodriguez lives every comics fan's dream—he is a Marvel- and Disney-licensed artist for Topps, illustrating card designs with well-known pop culture characters, among his other fantastical illustrations and original creations.

The new exhibition will feature about 80 illustrations in different artistic styles including watercolor, ink, pencil, oil and acrylic, said Patrick Rodgers, Manager of the Montco Cultural Center.

“Jason’s work is incredibly fun and well-executed,” said Rodgers. “He's a very talented illustrator, and his exhibit gives us an education in the process, techniques, and practicalities of both commercial illustration and personal storytelling, which is invaluable to our students.” 

The focus of the exhibition will be on the process of illustration, said Rodriguez.

“There will be a heavy number of sketches and works in progress, as well as finished pieces,” he said. “Also, it will have a sequence of illustrations from sketch to color and sequential art like full comic pages.”

Rodriguez’s role with Marvel and Disney is to illustrate sketch cards, which are inserted into Marvel trading cards serving as original art for fans to own. This summer he drew more than 250 such sketch cards, he said. As a lifelong fan of the pop culture characters he now draws, it’s been a pleasure to bring them to life for other fans like himself.

“I just love the characters,” he said. “Drawing them makes me want to draw more, which allows me to get better at drawing in general. It’s positive feedback. It’s been fun.”

Rodriguez had been a freelance artist for eight years before landing his contract with Topps. Additionally, he is a drawing and illustration instructor and holds private lessons and group classes with the Greater Norristown Art League and Main Line School Night, according to his website.

He’s looking forward to the gallery exhibition at MCCC because it will allow him to continue teaching the next generation of talented artists.

“I get to show my work and also inspire sketching and drawing,” he said. “It’s a big part of who I am.”

The Montco Cultural Center Fine Arts Center Gallery is free and open to the community. The building is open Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday noon to 5 p.m. and is closed Sunday. The Gallery will be closed on holidays. View the College Calendar for details.

For all upcoming Montco Cultural Center events information, visit the landing page.

For more information about the “Jason Rodriguez: A Feast of the Fantastic” exhibition, contact Patrick Rodgers,  Manager of the Montco Cultural Center.