Food for thought
‘The wildness of an imagination is a weird and wonderful property. I always dream in colour it is my soul food. My paintings demonstrate a break from normality. What is normal? Who has the right to be deemed eccentric and where are the boundaries’…
About Jay
Painting and drawing is something that Jay has always felt passionate about; he remembers having an over-active imagination as a child which has continued to develop throughout his life. This can certainly be seen in the way he is able to transform mundane surroundings and everyday things into images of incredible interest.
If you were to ask him, he would say that he has always been able to draw well, but never took it seriously or believed that he could earn a living from it, which is perhaps why he embarked on a BA Honours in Graphic Design/Advertising in 1988, after passing a BTEC diploma in foundation art and design. However, his passion for art became swamped by advertising books and computer graphics. Luckily, after working in a framing company, he rediscovered the emotion that art inspired him with.
His first collection was inspired by a love of wild animals and led to many commissions, from wild tigers to pet dogs and champion horses. At this time he drew in pastels and created images so real they looked ready to leap off the page. His next stage was to master the art of people and coloured pencil; once again the lifelike quality was astounding, with a true talent for capturing expressions, character and realistic eyes.
Jay, however, is not an artist who likes to stand still and is always searching for new challenges. The genesis of his current work was the modern designs and minimalist décor of new apartments, where focus of each room was a piece of modern art. He has now completed work for many new apartments, bars and reception installations, working with a multitude of contractors, architects, interior designers, corporate clients and individuals.
Hi artwork depicts atmosphere; anything from relaxation to adrenaline and in a wide variety of mediums. He uses acrylic on canvas, often with brushed steel for greater impact and individuality. Later pieces have included computer created designs set onto acrylic or glass, which have an amazing visual impact. All of his pieces are completely unique, tailored exactly to a client’s requirements; he does not re-create prints, preferring to keep each one original.
There are some common elements which stand out in every piece of his work, they are his obvious love of colour, texture and the complete enjoyment that he has had creating the work. His style, that of painting freely, using different colours, brushes, rustic materials and techniques is inspirational. He certainly has an unusual talent of being able to paint almost anything, in any medium and in any size. But most importantly it is clear that he is still having fun doing it.
