Artist's Statement

Abstract

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• Artist's Statement
• Jason Flack (bio)

Jason is an "Urban Folk" expressionist artist, community leader, speaker, and a native of Johnson City, Tennessee. His work has been heavily influenced by personal life experiences as well as many cartoons, comic books, and music. He has been drawing for over thirty years and painting for over ten. Jason has entrenched himself in an all-things-art lifestyle, being a part of local art advocacy and bridging the gap between self-taught and academia. He was called to start painting after the sudden death of his twin sister, Jessica, in 2010.

Johnson City is where Jason was born and where he has made a name for himself as an artist. He is a keen observer of society and community. He has always represented "both sides of the tracks," being half Black, half white, and having both a rural and an urban upbringing. He creates his paintings from his experiences being biracial, feeling positioned between two races, and growing up in different neighborhoods around various cultures. Every piece tells a story either by the colors and images depicted, or through the exposition and exaggerated characters portrayed.

Jason's work elicits energy by using bright colors surrounded by bold black lines. From the start, he has used painting as therapy to direct grief into movement and thoughtfulness and to hold a mirror to society. Jason believes that the best way to indicate your community is healthy is by supporting, promoting, and showcasing its local talent. He is influenced by the work of many artists, including Jean DuBuffet, Margaret Kilgallen, Allen "Big Al" Carter, Chris Johanson, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. [End Page 131]

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Aunts and Uncles and Stories about Mamaw, Jason Flack

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Jason Flack

JASON FLACK is an artist from Johnson City, Tennessee. His accolades include Best in Show at the Kingsport Art Guild's Appalachian Art Show in 2021, the Network of Advocates for Promising Practices in Education Award (NAPPE) in the FL3TCH3R Exhibit at the Reece Museum at East Tennessee State University for 2022 and 2023, the Art Alliance Mountain Empire Art Achievement Award for 2023, and selection as a visionary speaker and demonstrating artist for TEDxJohnsonCity 2023 and 2024.

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