"Beauty is one of mankind's greatest needs; it is the root from which the branches of our peace and the fruits of our hope come forth. Beauty also reveals God because, like Him, a work of beauty is pure gratuity; it calls us to freedom and draws us away from selfishness" -Pope Benedict XVI

About Jason

If there is one thing to describe Jason and his art it is passionate. While being a committed husband and father, he spends his remaining time enveloped in drawing or painting whatever he finds beautiful. As a devout Catholic, you could say his main artistic goal is to become the best artist he can be and express the beauty of God's creation through his brushstrokes.

Jason started drawing at a young age. It was discovered by his teachers and peers that he possessed a knack and desire for artwork, a desire that he pursued until his senior year when he switched to playing electric bass. About 10 years later, after realizing how much he missed being outdoors and recording his observations, Jason bought a sketchbook. He painstakingly worked his way from pencil to watercolor while using nature and wildlife as his subject matter and teacher. A love for wildlife and landscape came natural being that he was born and raised in rural Minnesota. Jason went to college and earned his degree in Applied Visual Arts and was encouraged by his teacher Bara Arens to pursue a career in fine art. Jason furthered his studies under renowned landscape artist Scott Christensen and a constant passion for plein air painting.

Using a soft and limited palette that usually consist of only the three primary colors plus white, Jason seeks to portray reality in both form and light. “Light affects form, but form also affects light. We do not paint light only, we also paint what light illuminates. Even light needs something to shine on for us to see.” Jason’s use of soft edges, textures and varied thicknesses of brushstrokes shows his search for creating paintings that combine lighting along with a strong feeling of texture, form and solidity. This gives his work a look and feel that is refreshing and unique among today’s wildlife and landscape art. “The human eye doesn’t see every single feather, hair or branch in perfect outline, it sees masses and shapes or color, it sees structure and light. These objective images translate into a subjective emotional human response. This is what I want people to see and feel in my work.”

Representation

Art & Soul Gallery, Lemoyne, Pennsylvania
Design Domaine Gallery, Bernardsville, New Jersey
Galleries West, Jackson, Wyoming
Horton Hayes Fine Art, Charleston, South Carolina
Lord Nelson's Gallery, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gregory James Gallery, New Milford, Connecticut

Awards

Best of Show-Contemporary Fine Art International Miniature Juried Show, Fall 2011
Juror's Award-Paint the Parks 2011 Mini50
Western Art Collector Editor's Choice Award-51st Annual Art and the Animal Exhibition 2011, Society of Animal Artists
Vanishing Landscape Award-Plein Air Easton 2011
Best Architectural Painting-Plein Air Easton 2011
1st Place-Plein Air Camp Hill 2011
2nd Place Quick Draw Award-Plein Air Camp Hill 2011
2nd place VIP Best of Show-Waterfowl Festival 2010
2010 Recipient of the Evelyn & Peter Haller Distinguished Young Artist Award, by the Society of Animal Artists
Quick Draw Honorable Mention-Plein Air Easton 2010
Quick Draw Honorable Mention-Plein Air Easton 2007

 Shows

Signature Member of the Society of Animal Artists
Mid Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association

Jason's Favorite Quotes and Links