Category Archives: Jean Monti

across the rainbow jean monti

Covers of the Week #64

covers with rainbows romance

Theme: Rainbows on Romance Covers

It’s June and what would June be without a rainbow? We’ve got romance covers with rainbows! These gorgeous arcs of the color spectrum have been revered (or even feared) since the dawn of humanity by all peoples on every inhabited continent. It is a symbol with myriad meanings.

The Rainbow and the Ancient Greeks

Some ancients, like the Greeks, believed the rainbow was a direct sign from Olympus. Iris, the winged goddess of rainbows used the rays of divine light to bring forth messages from the gods to mortals.

Iris was one of the most beautiful of all the Greek goddesses. Some legends say she had a child with Zephyrus, the god of sweet, Westerly winds. This son was Pothos, who was one of the winged erotes that accompanied Aphrodite, goddess of beauty and love, and her son Eros, the god of all loves. Pothos was the god of sexual desire and lust.

The Rainbow and the Incan Empire

Other religions ascribe good luck to the rainbow as a symbol of hope. The people of Peru saw a rainbow appear above a mountain. Manco Capac claimed to be the son of the god of the sun, Inti. He had come to Earth to teach humanity a better way of life, a more loving way.

He said, “Take this [rainbow] for a sign that the world will not be destroyed by water. We shall arrive and from hence we shall select where we shall found our city.” The city was Cuzco, the seat of the great Incan empire and Manco Capac was its first sovereign.

The Covers

The rainbow is a symbol of the Divine, hope, and of love. To end the month of June, from Monday, June 27, 2022, to Sunday, July 3, 2022, our Covers of the Week theme are beautiful covers with rainbows.

secret jewel jean monti

Covers of the Week #52

jean monti

Artist: Jean Monti

Last year on Twitter, @ArtoftheClinch posted images of a few charming covers. To me, they appeared similar in style. Subsequently, this led me on an internet search to discover a “new” artist, Jean Monti.

Back in the 1990s, Monti worked as a book illustrator for several NY city publishers. Within a span of ten years or so, she created about 100 romance covers.

Born into a large family in Rhode Island, Monti stood out for her talent in artistry. After high school, she studied at the Rhode Island School of Design. She painted beautiful covers for romance novels for a brief period. Then she focused on her family life.

Later, she had a stellar career as a fine artist. She would go on to paint for many years, to much success.

This is according to her website:

Fine artist Jean Monti is a nationally recognized painter, specializing in contemporary oil paintings of women and children…Monti, owner of Monti Studio, is a nationally recognized, published, award-winning fine artist. Jean’s work is recognized for her innate talent and exquisite use of light, which became a trademark for her paintings.

J. MONTI WEBSITE

The Covers

Monti’s artwork has a decidedly “Spring” vibe to it. So, for the week of Monday, April 4, 2022, to Sunday, April 10, 2022, we’ll be looking at the sweet romantic stylings of covers illustrated by Jean Monti.

secret jewel monti
Secret Jewel, Sonya T. Pelton, Zebra, 1994