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