Jeffrey Veregge was a friend, a colleague and a Native brother who always gave sincere advice and kindness to share. And wow, could that man create beautiful works of art
A beautiful soul has left this earth.
Jeffrey Veregge—who left this plane of existence with a “Rez-ume” (as he referred to it) with a flood of public art and murals, comic book works, shows and galleries and museum exhibits and truckloads of awards and recognitions—has tragically died at the age of 50.
Jeffrey Veregge referred to himself as the #NDNGeek in many of his contributions to the literary world and as a writer. He was also a member of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe.
In calling myself the #NativeNerd, Jefferey and I shared a common bond. We loved comics, action figures, science fiction, movies and more. Many times, we had discussed joining efforts as fellow Native Nerds to collaborate and create, and we eventually did work on a video and comic book project with Marvel. We had planned more, but tragically, he grew ill.
For the past few years, Jeffrey had been fighting a tremendously courageous battle with Lupus.
On April 12, 2024, Jeffrey’s family posted on Facebook that he had suddenly and unexpectedly died from a heart attack.
The family post reads as follows:
We’re heartbroken to share the devastating news that our beloved Jeffrey passed away unexpectedly this morning from a heart attack. Our family is in shock and trying to process this unimaginable pain.
For 1025 days, he fought lupus like the superhero we knew him to be. The strength, faith, determination and courage he showed while being in the hospital for a total of 925 days was an inspiration to us all. He fought so hard for his family and his 3 children, who were his absolute pride and joy. He will be missed more than words can express. This world was a better place because of him.
Please keep us in your prayers as we grieve this indescribable loss.
We love you all
Personal notes about Jeffrey Veregge
Jeffrey was a colleague and a friend, and I will miss him dearly.
We worked together on a Marvel project with Indigenous superheroes, something we two Native nerds could hardly have imagined we would do when we were young dudes. We worked on the video aspect project with IllumiNative’s Crystal Echo Hawk, Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas, Ben Jackendoff and others. It was magical.
I reached out to Ben Jackendoff and Taboo, who sent wonderful messages of support. Taboo of the Grammy-winning Black Eyed Peas wrote to me, “My heart is heavy with this news.”
Ben Jackendoff also wrote to me in a text, his heartfelt words. “My heart breaks. I prayed for him as soon as I heard.
“It was such an honor to work with Jeffrey. He is the artist that Taboo and I kicked our Marvel journey off with on the Marvel #1000. We hoped to have him work with us on everything we did. He was a national treasure, able to craft pop culture with Native styles in ways that were so inspiring. My favorite piece he did with us was the origin story of Jake Gomez’s “curse” in WWBN. It was a brilliant poetic tapestry. That was such a special book. And the intro of Officer Schilling!”
Because I had offered support and consulting on the comic, Taboo, Ben and Jeffrey surprised me with my own character in a Marvel comic book.
Additionally, he came onto the Native Trailblazers radio program several times to talk about his favorite topic, UFOs and Aliens. And yes, Jeffrey, I do believe they exist.
On the Marvel comic Werewolf By Night, Taboo, Ben worked to create a magical series of comics in a story in which a character named Officer Schilling, entered the Marvel Universe, Jeffrey drew a Variant cover.
Jeffrey Veregge has been part of many of my life’s dreams coming to light.
His Indigenous contributions to comics were unparalleled, including the “Marvel Comics” #1000, “Marvel’s Voices: Indigenous Voices,” and the “Red Wof Series.” I have copies of them all.
I love and miss you, brother. Blessings on your journey home.
Before I share specifically about his career and accomplishments, I will say I had tremendous joy in working with him on an article that outlined 5 tips to become a Marvel artist.
In the article, he wrote these beautiful words:
“My path is my own, and although many of us comic artists have similar stories, none of us have followed the same path. However, we all had the same passions and desires to get to where we are today. Passion is the key; listen to your heart, and let it guide you on this journey, as it is the fuel that allows the flame of your talent to be seen by all.”
About Jeffrey Veregge
A wonderful video from the KING 5 Evening News Channel.
Whenever I look at the work of Jeffrey Veregge, I literally feel struck with awe as to what he has created in the course of his life. His art is true magic.
In order to say who he is and to describe him as a man, it feels most appropriate to share the words he has on his personal website’s about page at https://www.jeffreyveregge.com/about.
It is the closest I can get to getting his approval because I imagine he painstakingly wrote and re-wrote his own life’s description. He was a man of personal toil and incredibly hard work, so I laugh a bit inside, imagining what he must have been going through to get this page polished.
About Jeffrey
“For thousands of years, Native and non-Native storytellers have used art as a means to share the tales of their people. For me, I am carrying on a tradition that started with my ancestors by simply using the means of today and all its modern conveniences to share the tales that I love.
Art evolves, tools get better, but the essence of what I do is the same as those who did it on the canvases nature provided for them to tell the stories of gods and heroes long, long ago.”
Jeffrey Veregge is an award-winning Native American Artist & Writer from the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe near Kingston, Washington. He is best known for his use of form-line design with pop culture inspiration, which his fans dub “Salish Geek.” He has over 100 comic book covers working for Marvel, IDW, Valiant, Dynamite, Boom! & Darkhorse Comics.
His story and works have been featured in The Huffington Post, Fast Company Magazine, Wired Magazine (Germany), Entertainment Weekly, Seattle Times and Magazine, Evening Magazine and many others.
Along with his comic work, gallery shows, and public artworks, Jeffrey had a 15-month solo exhibit in 2018 that featured his favorite Marvel characters at the Smithsonian in New York City called; “Of Gods & Heroes: The Art of Jeffrey Veregge.” The end result was 250 ft murals that were purchased for the Smithsonian’s permanent collection.
Most recently, he has agreed to create a large exit mural for Climate Pledge Arena, the future home of Seattle’s NHL team, The Kraken.
Jeffrey’s exit mural for Seattle’s NHL team? It is beautifully on display now.
Jeffrey Veregge’s Rez-ume’
Also, on his website, on this page, https://www.jeffreyveregge.com/rezume, you can read about his incredible accomplishments.
I HIGHLY recommend visiting his website to view some of his beautiful work.
Public Art
- Library Mural,
Kingston High School, Kingston, WA 2017 - Veteran’s Memorial Park,
Muckleshoot Tribe, Auburn, WA 2018 - VIP Entrance Snoqualmie Casino,
Snoqualmie Tribe, Snoqualmie, WA 2018 - City of Seattle, Was chosen to design the exterior art for a pump station at Salmon Bay,
Ballard, Seattle, WA will be complete by 2022 - Chidlren’s Mural, The Burke Museum,
University of Washington, Seattle, WA 2019 - Entrance Mural, Citizen M Hotel,
Lake Union, Seattle, WA 2020 - 12th & Yesler New Apartment complex
Designing 17 outdoor screens that will run up the 4 story structure, concept phase, Seattle WA 2020 - Exit Mural, Climate Pledge Arena
Concept phase, Seattle WA 2020
Comic Work
Covers:
Marvel Comics
- Red Wolf #1 thru #6
- Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur #1
- Jessica Jones #1
- MoonKnight #3
- Extraordinary X-men #18
- Steve Rogers: Captain America #1
- Monsters Unleashed #2
- Guardians of the Galaxy*
- America #1
- FoolKiller #1
- New Avengers #13
- Spectacular Spiderman #300
IDW Publishing
- ROM: #4,5,6
- Ghostbusters, (2)
- Onyx: #2,4
- GI Joe: Fall of GI Joe: #1 thru #8
- GI Joe: Real American Hero: #218
- Star Trek: #56
- Transformers: #38
- Transformers vs Visionaries
- Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye; #38
- Transformers: Spotlight: Omnibus #1, 2
- Transformers: The IDW Collection Compendium, Vol. 1 & 2
- Transformers: Salvation #1
- Transformers #2, 4, 6, 8 (10 & 12)
- Judge Dredd: #23
- Robots vs Zombies *Cover yet to be used
- Saucer Country #1 thru #6
- Rom & The Micronauts (2)
Valiant Entertainment
- A&A: #8
- Dr. Mirage: #3
- Bloodshot: #10 thru #13
- RAI: THE HISTORY OF THE VALIANT UNIVERSE #1, *2 Covers yet to be used
- Eternal Warrior: 2
- Divinity III: #1 thru #4
- Ninjak: #14, #16, #17
- Gen Zero: #4
- Faith and the Future Force #4
- X-O Manowar *Cover yet to be used
- Harbinger Renagade #6, #8
- Quantum & Woody #1
- Eternity #4
- Shadowman #9
- Life & Death of Toyo Harada #1
Dynamite Comics
- Turok #1
Boom Comics
- AdventureTime #19
Devil’s Due Comics
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Freshman Force
Action Comics
- Voracious #3
Independent
- Nate Quarry: Zombie Cage Fighter #2
- Miles Greb’s Clovis
- Jordaan Arlidge’s Alex Priest
- Richard Crowsong’s Vile
SPLASH PAGES
Darkhorse
- Angel Catbird: Volume #2
Alternate History Comics
- Moonshot #1 (3 pages)
- Ryan North’s Romeo & Juliet
- Duncan Jones’ Madi: Once Upon A Time In The Future
INTERIOR ART:
Alternate History Comics
- Moonshot #2 Story: Journeys
(Artist & Writer 10 pages) - Paul Allor’s Past the Last Mountain
(Interior Art: Desolation Sound 6 pages) - New Frontiers: The many worlds of George Takei
(Interior Art: Poston, 6 pages) - Moonshot #3 Story: Sisters
(Artist & Writer 6 pages) - Marvel #1000
(Interior art, celebrating Marvel Comics 80th anniversary. 1 of 80 artists to be asked to take part)
Shows & Exhibits
- “In the Spirit” Contemporary Northwest Native Arts Exhibit, Washington State Historical Museum, Tacoma, Wa, June – September 2020
- A Better Tomorrow: Works Inspired from the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. Stonington Gallery, Seattle, WA May 2020 (solo art exhibit)
- Bold Americans: Above & Beyond Stonington Gallery, Seattle, WA May 2019 (solo art exhibit)
- Of Gods and Heroes, Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, New York, NY October 2018 – Feb 2020 (solo art exhibit) Smithsonian Purchased the 2 50 ft Mural Panels for thier permament collection
- Indigenous Futurism Exhibition, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Santa Fe, NM, 2019
- “When Raven Became Spider” Traveling art exhibit, Dunlap Gallery, Canada 2017-2020
- Cultural imPRINT: Northwest Coast Prints, Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA,
April-August 2017 - Western Heroes of Pulp Fiction, Tuscon Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ Oct 2015 – Feb 2016
- “What You See is What You Sweat.” CoCa, Seattle, Wa, July- August 2016
- INDIGENOUS BEAUTY, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA, Feb – May 2015
- Nike’s Native American Network Festival
Nike Headquarters, Beaverton, OR, January 2015 - “In the Spirit” Contemporary Northwest Native Arts Exhibit, Washington State Historical Museum, Tacoma, Wa, June – September 2014
- Mint Condition #3 , Ltd. Art Gallery, Seattle, Wa, March 2014
- “Art Evolution – Contemporary Art of the Salish Sea, the New Wave” Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation Gallery, Edmonds, Wa,
June – Nov – Dec 2013 - “In the Spirit” Contemporary Northwest Native Arts Exhibit, Washington State Historical Museum, Tacoma, Wa, June – September 201
- Mint Condition #2, Ltd. Art Gallery, Seattle, Wa, March 2013 A Comic Book-inspired Art Show
- B: an art show tribute to B-Movies
Ltd. Art Gallery, Seattle, Wa, October 2013 - “In the Spirit” Contemporary Northwest Native Arts Exhibit, Washington State Historical Museum, Tacoma, Wa, June – September 2012
- Ethnic Heritage Gallery, Seattle Municipal Tower, Seattle, Wa, November 2011 – January 2012
- The B.E.S.T. of First Nations – expressions of Beauty, Eloquence, Strength, Tenacity
- The Blue Horse Gallery, Bellingham, Wa, November 2010
- It’s Complicated – Art about Home, Evergreen Gallery, Olympia, Wa, October 2010 – January 2011
- “In the Spirit” Contemporary Northwest Native Arts Exhibit, Washington State Historical Museum, Tacoma, Wa, June – September 2010
- Art Institute Of Seattle Alumni Show, Art Institute of Seattle, Seattle, Wa, July – August 2010
- Native American Art Exhibit, The Kenneth Minnaert Center for the Arts Gallery, South Puget Sound Community College, Olympia, WA, April – May 2010
- Mostly Indian and Other Fables: Lawton Gallery, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Green Bay, WI, October 2010
- Ethnic Arts Connection, Fisher Pavilion, Seattle Center, Seattle, WA, March 2010
- Solo Art Show: “House of Learning Art Gallery”, Peninsula College, Port Angeles, WA, January – April 2010
- “In the Spirit” Contemporary Northwest Native Arts Exhibit, Washington State Historical Museum, Tacoma Wa, July – August 2009
Galleries - Stonington Gallery, Seattle, WA, 2017 – Current
- Hero Complex Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, 2015-Current
- Ltd Art Gallery, Seattle WA, 2012-2015
- Legacy LTD Gallery, Seattle WA, 2010-2015
- Squaxin Island Tribe Museum Library and Research Center, Squaxin Island, WA, 2010
- La Familia Gallery, Seattle, WA, 2010-2011
- State of the Arts Gallery, Olympia, WA, 2009
Awards & Notes of Interest - Telly Award, (Bronze) 2019 Created the concept and graphics for PBS’s regional edition of Native America, Fall 2018
- 2 50ft Murals purchased by the Smithsonian for their permanent collection.
- The Top 100 Comic Book Covers of 2014
IGN, http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/12/26/the-top-100-comic-book-covers-of-2014, Dec 2014 - The Best Comic Book Covers of September 2014
Paste Magazine, http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/09/the-best-comic-book-covers-of-september-2014.html , Sept 2014 - Runner up People’s Choice
In the Spirit, Contemporary Northwest Native Arts Exhibit, 2014 - Top 60 Masters of Contemporary Art of 2013
ArtTour International, New York, NY, 2013 - National Native Creative Development Program Grantee
Evergreen Longhouse Committee, Evergreen State College, 2013 - Honoring Innovation Award Winner,
In the Spirit, Contemporary Northwest Native Arts Exhibit, 2012 - The Washington State Purchase prize,
In the Spirit, Contemporary Northwest Native Arts Exhibit, 2012 - Pendleton Award, (Runner-up for People’s choice)
In the Spirit, Contemporary Northwest Native Arts Exhibit, 2012 - Legacy LTD Award Winner
In the Spirit, Contemporary Northwest Native Arts Exhibit, 2009 - Top 200
Art for God, International Contemporary Christian Art Competition, 2009 - National Native Creative Development Program Grantee
Evergreen Longhouse Committee, Evergreen State College, 2009 - Native Arts Grantee, The Potlatch Fund, Seattle, WA, 2009
- Winner: Native American Art Competition
The American Cancer Society, 2008
Client & Commissions - Marvel Entertainment
- NIKE
- PBS
- Valiant Entertainment
- Viacom
- Citizen M Hotels
- IDW Publishing
- Burke Museum
- Serial Press
- Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe
- Seattle Art Museum
- Darkhorse Comics
- Washington State History Museum
- North Kitsap School District
- Suquamish Tribe
- Nisqually Tribe
- Muckleshoot Tribe
- Campus Crusade for Christ
- Food for the Hungry
- Knox Area Rescue Mission
- World Vision
- Salmon Defense Fund
- Military Ministry
- Oregon Public Health Division
- Washington State Auto Dealers Association
- Seattle Weekly
- Reed Pop
- Freemont Brewery
- National Urban Indian Family Coalition
- North Kitsap School District
- Snoqualmie Casino
- The Museum of Pop Culture (The EMP)
- Seattle Space Needle
Vincent Schilling, Akwesasne Mohawk, is the founder and editor of Native Viewpoint. With nearly 20 years of experience as a Native journalist and former member of the White House Press Pool, Vincent works to uplift underrepresented voices in the world of media and beyond. Follow Vincent on YouTube.com/VinceSchilling, on Twitter at @VinceSchilling or on any other of his social media accounts by clicking on any of the icons below.
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