Artist Bio

Jason Wilson taught art for 31 years at Seminole and Hartshorne high schools, after graduating with dual degrees in art and religion from Oklahoma Baptist University.

“I start by developing my paintings on grid paper to scale,” he says of his current art style. “After I have the concept on the grid paper, I draw it on the canvas using precise measurements and rulers. After the drawing is finished, I use a masking technique that took me years to perfect. I use acrylic paint, but I have a formula combining heavy-body acrylics with student-grade acrylics. I do this to obtain an ultra-smooth finish. I try to eliminate distractions that might distract viewers. I love ‘tricking’ the eye and creating color illusions inspired by quilts and the patterns found around me.”

Piece Description

“My journey with the AAA started during the summer of 2019 after Kimray purchased some of my other work, but a lot happened in my life between the offer and the completion.

“In the fall of 2019, I was involved in a head-on fatality collision on my way to work at Hartshorne Public Schools. The injuries incurred would force me into months of recovery and retirement as a high school art teacher. While recovering from the wreck, the COVID pandemic hit. Between the wreck and COVID, it felt like the world had stopped for two years.

“Once I was able to return to painting, the Kimray AAA commission was again on my mind. I probably painted 25 different versions of this commission in my dreams at night.

“Patterns seem to be the way I view the world, so I started creating different patterns. After playing around with several ideas, I settled on the one I used because it was so ‘me.’ Once I started, it consumed my time. I couldn’t stop until I was finished. This is by far the hardest painting I’ve ever painted!”