Denver artist Jeff Starr was born in Fort Dix, New Jersey in 1956. He has been represented by RULE Gallery since the late 1980’s. Starr's paintings, dating back to the early 1990’s, have a surreal nature, commonly depicting strange sculptural forms in a dramatic landscape. The sources for the forms in his paintings come from ornate antique metalwork, but also from small maquette sculptures he made himself. Gradually his interest has shifted from representing these forms on canvas to exploring the sculptures on their own terms. His sculptures range from representational works that have the plasticity of the figurative forms in his paintings, to more abstract, organic forms that were originally sources for his paintings. The sculptures, whose materials range from ceramic lusterware to Sculpey encased in colored resin, not only relate to his earlier paintings, but also have such disparate influences as Rococo silverware, cast iron toys, and early 20th Century cartoons. The sculptures have luxurious surfaces whose opulence plays with a frivolity that is juxtaposed against the more serious nature of the narrative which is hidden in the details of the pieces.

Jeff Starr has received many grants, including a National Endowment for the Arts Visual Artist Fellowship Grant, and 2 Colorado Council on the Arts grants. His work has been shown throughout the western United States and in New York, most notably in the Denver Art Museum’s Scene Colorado/Sin Colorado and the Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver’s Biennial 10 + 10, having been chosen as one of the 10 artists in this exclusive show. His work is also in the collection of the Denver Art Museum.