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

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ARTIST, WANTS VIEWERS TO 
NAVIGATE THEIR WAY THROUGH HIS

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ART. 
ROHLF DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM HIS

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EVERYDAY SURROUNDINGS AND USES 
LAYERS OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS TO

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CREATE HIS WORKS, GUIDING 
VIEWERS ON AN ARTISTIC JOURNEY.

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>> ABSTRACT ARTISTS HAVE THEIR 
OWN LANGUAGE.

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IT'S NONREPRESENTATIONAL, SO 
YOU'RE DESCRIBING A

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TWO-DIMENSIONAL SPACE WITH ANY 
MARK MAKING YOU WANT THAT

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

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ALL THOSE THINGS ARE THE RULES 
OF A TRADITIONAL LANDSCAPE OR

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STILL LIFE OR PORTRAIT DON'T 
EXIST.

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

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NEW YORK. 
I WAS BORN IN MILE WALKY IN

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1970. 
MY PARENTS WERE YOUNG HIPPIES

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HERE. 
LEAVE LIVED ALL OVER THE STATE

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

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

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BRADLEY CENTER. 
WE MOVED TO BROOKLYN ABOUT 15

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

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THE FULL NAME OF THE EXHIBIT IS 
NAVIGATIONAL AIDS.

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I WAS REALLY THINKING ABOUT THE 
THINGS THAT HELP GUIDE YOU

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THROUGH YOUR DECISION-MAKING 
PROCESS.

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

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

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

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INFORMATION THAT MIGHT LEAD YOU 
AWAY FROM THAT.

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

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EXPERIENCES AND THEN MAKE YOUR 
DECISION.

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

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

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

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MISTAKES OCCUR IN A PAINTING. 
THE INSPIRATION COMES FROM JUST

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ABOUT EVERYTHING I EXPERIENCE IN 
MY DAY TO DAY.

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

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GRAFFITI ON THE STREET, A 
STICKER SLOWLY ERODING AND

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SEEING THE DIFFERENT LAYERS OF 
HOW EVERYBODY INTERACTS WITH

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THEIR ENVIRONMENT AND THEN 
TRYING TO CAPTURE THAT AS A

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FEELING. 
I'M NOT REALLY ILLUSTRATING IT

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BUT MORE TRYING TO GET THE 
ESSENCE OF IT.

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

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

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OF WHAT I EXPERIENCED IN 
WISCONSIN AND BROOKLYN WHERE

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

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RESANDED AND RECLAIMED. 
I WANTED TO SHOW THAT WHOLE

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TRANSITION PROCESS HAPPENING IN 
THE NEW WORK.

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

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LAYERS OF COLLAGE AND THICK 
LAYERS OF PAINT WHERE THE CAKE

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

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

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

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PAINTING AND REVEAL THE THINGS 
THAT HAD ONCE BEEN HIDDEN

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UNDERNEATH. 
THERE IS A STARLIKE PATTERN THAT

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

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

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PLANET WHERE THERE ARE SORT OF 
GEOGRAPHICAL MARKERS.

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

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WHERE AN INTERSECTION OR 
POPULATION CENTER IS.

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

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ORIGINAL CONTEXT AND THEN 
PUTTING THEM IN AS A VISUAL

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ELEMENT. 
PEOPLE WHO ARE ENGINEERS OR MAP

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

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

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AESTHETIC QUALITY. 
THE BIRDS WERE ALWAYS A PROJECT.

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

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THE SECOND FLOOR RIGHT AT THE 
TREELINE.

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

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

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PAINTING. 
NOW I MADE IT MIMICKING WHATEVER

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

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ABSTRACT PAINTING, GOTTEN BACK 
TOGETHER AND NOW THEY ARE HAVING

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A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT THEY 
EXPERIENCED.

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A FAVORITE PAINTING FOR AN 
ARTIST MIGHT BE DIFFENTNTHAN A

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FAVORITE PAINTING FOR A VIEWER. 
MY FAVORITE PAINTINGS ARE THE

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

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THE SQUEAKY WHEEL GETS THE 
GREASE SORT OF THING.

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SOMETIMES THERE IS A PAINTING 
THAT WAS NOT COMING TOGETHER IN

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

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DECISIONS THAT IT STARTS TO 
GLOW.

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THEN A PIECE CALLED THE FORTUNE 
TELLER THAT WAS REALLY RESISTING

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BEING DONE FOR MANY, MANY 
MONTHS.

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

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WITH A TITLE, ALL THESE 
DISPARATE ELEMENTS CAME TOGETHER

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TO GIVE SOMETHING I FELT VERY 
PROUD FOR.

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

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DARLING. 
THAT'S SORT OF THE BRIGHT STAR.

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

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THAT THINGS CAN BE MADE WITH 
YOUR HANDS AND THAT SOMEBODY

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

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ACTUALLYCONSTRUCTED SOMETHING 
FROM NOTHING TO STEP AWAY FROM

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

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

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MADE BY ANOTHER PERSON. 
THAT PERSON IS BRINGING

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

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

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REACT TO. 
THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE MY JOY.

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STILL SOMEBODY OUT THERE DOING 
SOMETHING WITH THEIR HANDS AND

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BRINNGNG IT TO A VIEWER TO COME 
AND EXPERIENCE.

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>> LEARN MORE AT 
jasonrohlf.tumblr.com.

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THANKS INAR