Mariah Fox

"Bob Marley is a primary inspiration and focus for me daily whether it’s his music helping get me through a hard day, or his life, words and beliefs uplifting my creative process. I've spent hours designing, painting and illustrating about him. A hope of mine is that all artists have the luxury of spending time working on subjects that motivate and inspire them, like I have. In this context— Bob is core to my work and even my way of living life.

The illustrations selected for this edition came from my ink work in the upcoming Bob Marley project, 'Redemption 75,’ a collaboration I did with Cedella Marley. Cedella is Bob’s eldest child and the CEO of the Marley Estate. She is one of my oldest and dearest friends—we have shared many adventures, good times and creative endeavors together (including 5 books), going back to our teens in Jamaica in the early 90’s. I was lucky to hop on tour with her group, Grammy award winning Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers' 'Joy and Blues' (1990)…a favorite project I helped with was for the film made of one of their fantastic final performances: 'Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers: Live..."

- Mariah

Mariah Fox comes from a family of artists and teachers and grew up outside Santa Fe, New Mexico and Port Maria, Jamaica. She has used illustration to express dream, fantasy and reality imagery since she began to draw at the age of four. Mariah holds a Masters in Fine Arts from University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida and has worked as an art director, illustrator and freelance designer since the early 1990s.

Mariah's work is exhibited regularly, and she has contributed art to more than 35 books and ten publishers, including several major New York houses. She is an Addy Award winner and her company, Ital Art offers creative direction, graphic and illustrative artwork and writing for a variety of clients. Mariah has provided ongoing creative consultation for the family of global reggae music icon Bob Marley since the early 1990s. Her current research and writing centers on Abstract Expressionist painter, Jean-Michel Basquiat and she can frequently be found partnering on projects with Al Díaz, principal of the American graffiti movement (and Basquiat’s SAMO©… collaborator).