JASON WILSON

The Studio Interview

With a sincere smile and handshake, Jason Wilson asked how our drive was to Hartshorne, Oklahoma, as we entered the art building at the local high school. Jason has been teaching for twenty-eight years, thirteen of which have been here, and is also where he attended high school. Enjoying the regular schedule, it helps to keep Jason on track with his paintings. Being a good example to the students, he shows them that you can live in a small town and do big things. While he and his wife move to a new home in McAlester (equipped with a large studio), the art building doubles as his work-space. It’s a single large room with those heavy dark brown tables you remember from school, which somehow seem small because of the large open space. If the LED lights don’t bring you right back to high school art class, the perfectly aligned art posters on the cabinets will.

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Subtly animated, the artist is laid-back and easy to talk to. Every once in a while his phone would go off, sounding the Roadrunner’s “beep-beep,” which I couldn’t help but smile about. He excitedly shared stories about many topics: the value of Instagram to an artist (and hashtags!), his volunteer work over the years, Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition and its benefits, and the importance to keep learning. We also learned he made thirty-three trips to Oklahoma City last year. Thirty-three. That is a five hour drive, round-trip, every week and a half. That is dedication.

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What do you see when you look at Jason Wilson’s paintings? The current series is inspired by Gee’s Bend quilts, which are created from leftover scraps. He’s using this concept of re-purposing materials in an unplanned way to his own work. It’s been a struggle for him because it’s the complete opposite way of his usual working pattern. Suggesting OCD may be the culprit, the artist thrives on structure. Using a system of masking tape, mixing his own paints, and a dry brush technique, he is able to achieve perfect lines without seeing brush strokes.

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We could have stayed for hours exchanging ideas and stories, but since we had to be on our way, he sent us off with a restaurant recommendation for lunch and a couple more thank you’s for coming out. Jason remains humble as he advances in the art scene in Oklahoma, while working on expanding his paintings beyond the borders of this great state.

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Written and interviewed by Liz Boudreaux

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