harrison-gallery.com.
JASON ROHLF, AN BE A TRACT

ARTIST, WANTS VIEWERS TO
NAVIGATE THEIR WAY THROUGH HIS

ART.
ROHLF DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM HIS

EVERYDAY SURROUNDINGS AND USES
LAYERS OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS TO

CREATE HIS WORKS, GUIDING
VIEWERS ON AN ARTISTIC JOURNEY.

>> ABSTRACT ARTISTS HAVE THEIR
OWN LANGUAGE.

IT'S NONREPRESENTATIONAL, SO
YOU'RE DESCRIBING A

TWO-DIMENSIONAL SPACE WITH ANY
MARK MAKING YOU WANT THAT

DOESN'T HAVE TO SHOW DEPTH OR
LIGHT OR FORM.

ALL THOSE THINGS ARE THE RULES
OF A TRADITIONAL LANDSCAPE OR

STILL LIFE OR PORTRAIT DON'T
EXIST.

MY NAME IS JASON ROHLF.
I AM AN ARTIST FROM BROOKLYN

NEW YORK.
I WAS BORN IN MILE WALKY IN

1970.
MY PARENTS WERE YOUNG HIPPIES

HERE.
LEAVE LIVED ALL OVER THE STATE

OF WISCONSIN UNTIL I WENT TO
COLLEGE AT MILWAUKEE, UWM.

AFTER TEN YEARS OF MAKING ART,
WE HAD A LOFT DOWN BY THE

BRADLEY CENTER.
WE MOVED TO BROOKLYN ABOUT 15

YEARS AGO.
THAT'S BEEN OUR HOME EVER SINCE.

THE FULL NAME OF THE EXHIBIT IS
NAVIGATIONAL AIDS.

I WAS REALLY THINKING ABOUT THE
THINGS THAT HELP GUIDE YOU

THROUGH YOUR DECISION-MAKING
PROCESS.

RIGHT NOW IN THE INFORMATION
AGE, WE GET A LOT OF CONFLICTING

INFORMATION, SO YOU'LL GET A
PIECE OF INFORMATION THAT TAKES

YOU TO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO AND
THEN YOU'LL GET A PIECE OF

INFORMATION THAT MIGHT LEAD YOU
AWAY FROM THAT.

IT'S UP TO YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL
TO RECONCILE THOSE TWO

EXPERIENCES AND THEN MAKE YOUR
DECISION.

AND I THINK THE WAY THE WORK
LOOKS, A LOT OF INFORMATION

COMING AT YOU AND THEN YOU AS A
VIEWER FIGURE OUT A WAY TO

NAVIGATE THROUGH THAT SPACE.
>> I LOVE IT WHEN MAGICAL

MISTAKES OCCUR IN A PAINTING.
THE INSPIRATION COMES FROM JUST

ABOUT EVERYTHING I EXPERIENCE IN
MY DAY TO DAY.

IT COULD BE A CONSTRUCTION SITE.
IT COULD BE SOME PIECE OF

GRAFFITI ON THE STREET, A
STICKER SLOWLY ERODING AND

SEEING THE DIFFERENT LAYERS OF
HOW EVERYBODY INTERACTS WITH

THEIR ENVIRONMENT AND THEN
TRYING TO CAPTURE THAT AS A

FEELING.
I'M NOT REALLY ILLUSTRATING IT

BUT MORE TRYING TO GET THE
ESSENCE OF IT.

AND I WANTED TO KIND OF HAVE
THAT GROWING AND DECAYING,

GROWING AND DECAYING, AND A LOT
OF THAT IS ALMOST A COMBINATION

OF WHAT I EXPERIENCED IN
WISCONSIN AND BROOKLYN WHERE

THINGS AGE AND RUST AND PATINA
AND THEN THEY ARE REPAINTED AND

RESANDED AND RECLAIMED.
I WANTED TO SHOW THAT WHOLE

TRANSITION PROCESS HAPPENING IN
THE NEW WORK.

I'LL START WITH A RAW PANEL OR A
CANVAS PANEL AND START TO ADD

LAYERS OF COLLAGE AND THICK
LAYERS OF PAINT WHERE THE CAKE

ALMOST LOOKS LIKE FROSTING.
AND THEN CUT PIECES OF COLLAGE,

AND IT STARTS BUILDING UP WHAT I
THINK IS THE OUTER-MOST LAYER, I

WILL START TO SAND AND USE RAZOR
BLADES TO SCULPT BACK INTO THE

PAINTING AND REVEAL THE THINGS
THAT HAD ONCE BEEN HIDDEN

UNDERNEATH.
THERE IS A STARLIKE PATTERN THAT

I USE THAT IS MORE LIKE A WIND
STAR OR COMPASS ROSE.

SOME OF THE IMAGES FEEL LIKE
LUNAR LANDSCAPES, A SURVEY OF A

PLANET WHERE THERE ARE SORT OF
GEOGRAPHICAL MARKERS.

SOME FEEL LI A MAP WHERE YOU
HAVE A DESIGNATION, A DOT FOR

WHERE AN INTERSECTION OR
POPULATION CENTER IS.

I LIKE TAKING ALL OF THE SYMBOLS
AND TAKING THEM OUT OF THEIR

ORIGINAL CONTEXT AND THEN
PUTTING THEM IN AS A VISUAL

ELEMENT.
PEOPLE WHO ARE ENGINEERS OR MAP

MAKERS WILL LOOK AT THESE THINGS
AND THEY KIND OF HAVE THE

FEELING THEY'VE SEEN IT BEFORE
BUT I'M USING IT ALMOST FOR ITS

AESTHETIC QUALITY.
THE BIRDS WERE ALWAYS A PROJECT.

MY STUDIO IN MILWAUKEE WHEN I
STARTED MAKING THE BIRDS WAS ON

THE SECOND FLOOR RIGHT AT THE
TREELINE.

THE BIRDS WERE HOPPING AROUND IN
OUR WINDO SILLSR WINDOW BOXES.

THEN I REALIZED I WANTED TO DRAW
THE BIRDS INTERACTING WITH THE

PAINTING.
NOW I MADE IT MIMICKING WHATEVER

THE -- IT'S AS IF THE BIRDS HAVE
SEEN THE BE A TRACT PAINTING --

ABSTRACT PAINTING, GOTTEN BACK
TOGETHER AND NOW THEY ARE HAVING

A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT THEY
EXPERIENCED.

A FAVORITE PAINTING FOR AN
ARTIST MIGHT BE DIFFENTNTHAN A

FAVORITE PAINTING FOR A VIEWER.
MY FAVORITE PAINTINGS ARE THE

ONES MOST CHALLENGING, THAT
MAYBE GAVE ME THE MOST TROUBLE.

THE SQUEAKY WHEEL GETS THE
GREASE SORT OF THING.

SOMETIMES THERE IS A PAINTING
THAT WAS NOT COMING TOGETHER IN

THE WAY YOU IMAGINED IT.
THEN YOU MAKE THE LAST FEW

DECISIONS THAT IT STARTS TO
GLOW.

THEN A PIECE CALLED THE FORTUNE
TELLER THAT WAS REALLY RESISTING

BEING DONE FOR MANY, MANY
MONTHS.

THEN WHEN WE DECIDED TO USE IT
FOR THE SHOW CARD AND CAME UP

WITH A TITLE, ALL THESE
DISPARATE ELEMENTS CAME TOGETHER

TO GIVE SOMETHING I FELT VERY
PROUD FOR.

WHEN YOU PUT SOMETHING ON THE
SHOW CARD, USUALLY THAT'S YOUR

DARLING.
THAT'S SORT OF THE BRIGHT STAR.

IN THE DIGITAL AGE, IT REALLY I
THINK IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER

THAT THINGS CAN BE MADE WITH
YOUR HANDS AND THAT SOMEBODY

STOOD OVER A TABLE WITH TAPE AND
PAINT AND BRUSHES AND TOOLS AND

ACTUALLYCONSTRUCTED SOMETHING
FROM NOTHING TO STEP AWAY FROM

YOUR DESK OR FROM YOUR DAY TO
DAY AND JUST TO COME AND PONDER

ON SOMETHING VISUAL THAT'S IN
FRONT OF YOU THAT WAS ACTUALLY

MADE BY ANOTHER PERSON.
THAT PERSON IS BRINGING

SOMETHING THAT THE ONLY PURPOSE
OF THAT OBJECT IS TO GIVE YOU

SOMETHING TO REFLECT ON AND LOOK
AT AND CONCEIVE NEW IDEAS AND

REACT TO.
THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE MY JOY.

STILL SOMEBODY OUT THERE DOING
SOMETHING WITH THEIR HANDS AND

BRINNGNG IT TO A VIEWER TO COME
AND EXPERIENCE.

>> LEARN MORE AT
jasonrohlf.tumblr.com.

THANKS INAR