Stuff by John Jaster:
It surprises me and many who have known me that I would be an artist. I was middle aged when I first picked up a brush. Nothing in my adult education pointed me this direction. Even in life I�ve tended to be reserved and predictable. But, in 2002 I decided to make a change, maybe start a hobby. Wood carving then became painted carvings and painted carvings lead to painting panels. Along the way I�ve learned new skills from books, the internet, trial and error, and conversations, but not from classes. Being self-trained I guess is a big source of pride in my work. I did it my way and it�s all been done for fun. I find painting relaxing, challenging, and expressive.
So what am I and my art about? The journey itself. The never ending quest for different or better art. I keep a photo of each completed project numbered sequentially in a photo portfolio (which I often burn on disks to show to others). As the years go by and the projects add up we can trace my development as an artist: the first time I tried a technique or media, later variations on it, the people and places in my life, and my successful and failed projects. It�s like a slide show from a long vacation. I value where a project fits into my overall portfolio much more than how it merits as a stand alone piece of art.
Common themes you will see in my art include: historic buildings and locations, stores and restaurants I like to visit, experiments in textures and crackling, randomness and abstraction, etc. Really I�ll try almost anything at least once, and isn�t that the point anyway? What sort of a journey would it be if I picked just one thing I was good at and stuck solely with it? If I had been happy being predictable I wouldn�t even have started making all this art.
However, I did make a strategic decision to never do projects involving excessive nudity, gore, and violence. It�s not that I don�t find those types of art interesting or that I would judge those who create it. It�s more the fact I�d like any person of any age to be able to view the whole body of my work without fear of offense. How could I show a niece or nephew what I�ve been doing if their parents were afraid they�d need to screen my portfolio first?
These days I mostly use acrylics on thin supports (boards, paper, clear polyester, polypropylene, etc.) because I have limited storage space. Also due to work space my projects stay small, usually no larger than 18"x24", so I sometimes build larger works from an assembly of smaller ones.
Thanks for taking the time to read about me and my art. I routinely post my latest work for open critique on http://www.wetcanvas.com. My screen name is John Jaster (or previously Lobster Alla Prima).
e-mail: [email protected], or [email protected]
