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Bent-Con is a 501(c)3, non-profit organization created in 2010 and is committed to recognizing, celebrating, encouraging and appreciating LGBTQ and our (UnGay) Allies contributions to pop-culture and geekdom. Specifically, comic-books, gaming, sci-fi, fantasy and horror mediums from artists, writers, creators, publishers, directors, actors and producers that create works targeted directly to LGBTQ audiences and the larger realm of mainstream and underground pop-culture as a whole.

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avatar for Jezza Smilez

Jezza Smilez

Booth B06

Like most artist, I’ve been drawing since the womb. My mom’s uterus is covered in the earliest of my works. I grew up on an indulgent diet of He-Man and the Masters of the UniverseTom & JerryLooney Tunes, and of course – all things Disney. These toons and an overbearing libido would form the core of who’d I grow up to be as an artist.

I got my first big break as an artist at the age of 14, illustrating teaching aides for an educational company. A year later, I was published as the illustrator for several books teaching second languages. I continued to illustrate for that company through the rest of high school. After high school, I went into the military where my art became much more of a pastime. My art had become overshadowed by an overwhelming era of self-discovery, insanely long working hours, and an exhausting addiction to adrenaline highs.

My new passions were jumping out of planes, martial arts, and indulging in a personal acceptance to enjoy all the gay sex I could possibly have. Drawing slowed to an occasional sketch or doodle during my military years while I discovered a more zealous liking to writing. Writing became my primary creative outlet until I finished my enlistment. After the military, I became a police officer. Serving as a cop remains one of my most proud contributions in life and is what reconnected me with the inevitable need to create art.

I had begun painting again when 9/11 happened. I went to war and found solace in writing. After I was released from war duty, I went down under to Australia for a reboot. I fell in love with Australia and made Oz my new home. There I rediscovered a child-like excitement for story telling though visual media. During this time, I was introduced to the work of erotic artist such as Patrick Fillion and Joe Phillips. Their work motivated me so much; I returned to the US with new ambition to make another career in illustration, only this time it’d be porn.

So here I am – doing what comes naturally. I draw smut, comics and whatever else it is that I feel like. As an artist, I’ve succeeded, I’ve failed, and I’ve failed again but most of all I’ve learned. If there’s anything worth sharing in this section dedicated to sharing something about myself, it’s what I’ve learned. 
I’ve learned that forcing creation only results in destruction. 
I’ve learned that creation is contagious. The more you share of your work, the more creative you become. And the more creative people you surround yourself with, the more original your work turns out.
The most important lesson I’ve learned so far is one that I think I will relearn several times in this lifetime. The path of an artist is not an easy one. It is cluttered with opposition, criticism, and worst of all – self-doubt. It’s a path worth traveling, though. Once an artist stops distracting themselves with all of that ‘clutter,’ they discover that the road leads to anywhere they can imagine and that the fun in the journey is creating the destination.

Saturday, November 8
 

1:00pm PST