In the Beginning

Jason was born at the Fort Fairfield Community General Hospital on November 13, 1972.

He has a very diverse ethnic background of French, English, French Canadian, African, Scottish , and Irish. Jason was raised in the small town of Limestone, Maine with a population of approximately 1500. At the age of 18 Jason graduated high school and attended the Northern Maine Community College for an Associate in the field of Computer Electronics.

In 1995 at the age of 22 Jason enlisted in the United States Navy with a dream of serving his country. Jason graduated boot camp and attended school to become an Electronics Technician. During his time in A-School he was diagnosed with Patella Femoral Syndrome (a degenerative knee condition in which the padding in the knee is eroding).

Jason 1978 (age 5)

Jason was exposed to art by a friend of his whom owned a music store at a mall in North Chicago. Jason was visiting his friend at work when he heard a very unique song played over the overhead speakers. Jason proceeded to ask his friend what he was listening to and he was told about the Broadway musical RENT. His friend proceeded to tell him about the Broadway production and the meaning behind it. Jason decided to purchase the CD and take it back to his barracks. Jason began to listen to track after track. He was mesmerized by each and every piece. This made think that if people in this production could handle all the problems that life were throwing at them then nothing he faced could be so bad. Jason then proceeded to experience all he could with art. He attended more films, listened to more diverse music and even visited museums.

Upon completion of A-School Jason was transferred to Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia to train for work on the Aims Mark XII IFF. During his time at the base it was determined that with his condition he was unable to serve aboard his ship. Jason was then selected for a medical honorable discharge from the service. Jason was discharged on December 9, 1997.

Jason & his wife Jennifer (Summer 2001)

On January 14, 1999 at 12:15 am Jason met his current wife Jennifer. They were soon engaged after a short period of dating. Jason then decided that he wanted to learn photography as an art form. He enrolled at the New York Institute of Photography and attended just three months before dropping out due to working 91 hours per week as a bodyguard. Jason began to teach himself photography.

In 2002 Jason was informed that his grandmother was very ill and was asked to come home to take care of her. Jason quickly quit his job and moved back to Maine to the home where his mother grew up. Only nine days after taking his grandmother out of the nursing home his grandmother died of heart failure.

To deal with his loss Jason began to throw himself into his art. In the summer of 2004 he learned that there was a gallery that just opened approximately 15 miles from his home. He contacted the owner/curator and arranged an interview. He eventually became friends with the curator and began to visit her gallery on a regular basis. She informed him one day that the local battered woman's shelter was looking to hold a group show on domestic violence. She asked if he would be interested in being part of the show. Jason jumped at the opportunity to participate and created his piece TO BE FREE. The curator loved the piece so much she asked him to hang it in her gallery and to make it at least four feet tall. Jason spent the next three weeks getting the print and frame together. Jason hung his print and received a lot of positive feedback from it. After only three weeks in the gallery a local minister purchased his print.

Jason was then hooked and decided that being an artist would be his life's ambition. Not just being an artist, but he would try to help people through his art like art had helped him. He worked on several issues such as politics, religion, abuse, civil rights, etc. Jason received a lot of grief from local people about his topics.

In 2005, after a year of creating art, Jason decided that he needed to smooth out the rough edges of his work and enrolled at the University of Maine at Presque Isle for a Bachelors in Fine Art. During his first semester he decided to expand his mediums and learned watercolor painting in the style of Wassily Kandinsky. While learning to paint Jason was chosen to be the artist of the month at The Aroostook Medical Center for May of 2006.

Jason also decided to choose sculpture as his concentration for his degree. Jason was then selected to be one of four recipients of the Fine Art Talent Award for Outstanding Studio Achievement.

Watercolor titled AOM-008

After attending his sculpture courses he became obsessed with plaster as a form of sculpture. Jason does enjoy many types of sculpture to include junk works with recycled objects. From 31 May 2006 to August 2006 Jason was volunteering at The Aroostook Medical Center with the Green Ridge Brain Injury Treatment Program. Jason spent the summer teaching the nine patients and three counselors about the various styles of art forms that he works in himself. Jason enjoyed being a part of such a wonderful program and finds it very rewarding.

Folsom/Pullen Hall at the
University of Maine at Presque Isle

Jason had his senior show in the Pullen Gallery of UMPI on April 11, 2009. The show was titled I Am Me! and talked about self image issues steming back to childhood, family, religion and the mass media. Information on the show is posted here. Photos and Comments are posted as well.

Jason graduated from UMPI on May 16, 2009 with his Bachelors in Fine Art. Jason has also considered that even though his concentration in college was focused on sculpture that his pursuits for a medium for now will be mostly photography on a large scale.

In August 2009 Jason became a member of the Professional Photographers of America and is working towards his Master of Photography certificate.

I hope you enjoyed reading about Jason and his work. I believe that you now have a better understanding and insight into the force that drives him and his work.