Jason Jenkins

Home: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Title: Father
Media: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 91.5 x 76.25 cm
Website: www.jasonpatrickjenkins.com

Artist Statement

The subject of this portrait is my Father. I have wanted to paint him for several years, as he is an iconic figure to me, representing much of my value system and many of my ideals. My father is the kind of man who sacrifices without complaint and does what is needed regardless of difficulty and despite adversity. He is a hero and an inspiration, and this is my monument to him. I placed him in a doorway which represents choices, or the space between different places. He stands in the doorway, with his back to the darkness, guarding against entry.
I developed the piece in a traditional indirect layered technique, working with a limited palette, on a warmly toned ground. First I established the drawing in a monochromatic umber layer. I then developed the volumes and forms in a black and white dead layer. After that I built up several color layers. Finally I finished with some glazing, fine tuning my colors and enriching my darks.

Biography

I was born and raised in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and was fortunate to know from an early age that art would be my life’s ambition. I took every art class in high school, went on to graduate with my BFA in 2001 from MUN, and then spent 15 years as a practicing professional. My work can be found in Canada, the US, Korea, Japan, South Africa and the UK. In my practice, I have traveled, taught, and lectured, and I have known I was exactly where I belonged the whole while. I am currently living in Philadelphia where I am expanding on my skills and techniques in the advanced fine art program at Studio Incamminati, ARC approved school of Contemporary Realism, founded by Nelson Shanks.