Jackson Wrede | Interview

What is your art philosophy?

Of all the things I value most in a work of art, I think the concept of “excellence" may rank the highest. Art can be introspective, intellectual, emotional, etc., and I appreciate all those aspects. But I am always drawn to the formal qualities of painting, and there is nothing quite like observing a work that is created with such skill that you have to wonder to yourself, “how did a human being make this?” That reaction is what I am always chasing in my artistic process, and it takes an extraordinary amount of skill, practice, and patience to achieve that level of excellence.

Which was your breakthrough piece? Tell us more about it.

In January of 2020 I started a 9 x 7 foot oil painting that would be an illustrated metaphor for the past, present, and future of the human species. Many of the themes explored ?in the painting summarized the series of work I produced while earning my Masters of Fine Arts degree at Kendall College of Art & Design, and this piece would serve as the capstone to my thesis exhibit. The onset of the COVID pandemic interrupted my progress on the piece and because I was locked out of my studio space, 14 months passed by before the giant painting was finally completed in the spring of 2021. After my thesis exhibition, the painting was featured prominently in Art Prize—the world’s largest open art festival—where tens of thousands of people were able to see the work over a three-week period at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids, MI.

?What are you really trying to say with your artist statement?

This question is ironic because so many of my favorite painters never even wrote an artist statement. The concept of an artist statement did not emerge with widespread popularity until the back half of the 20th century when the world’s understanding of art evolved from something more aesthetic to something more philosophical. At this point I have earned two art degrees and written pages and pages of artist statements, and none of them have been as satisfying or revealing as the actual paintings I prefer to make. That’s not to say a good artist statement can’t help you better understand someone’s work, but I don’t think it should be a requirement or used as a judgement of artistic merit. You don’t always need an explanation to give you that visceral reaction, and sometimes you just like a painting because you like it.?

Do you ever venture out of your creative process to try out new things??

The way I normally venture out in my creative process is through commissions. Commissions sometimes get a bad wrap in the art world because they’re not really YOUR ideas, but people forget there is a massive historical precedent for commissioned artwork. A big chunk of the great paintings you see at museums were commissioned works, and I see myself participating in that tradition to some extent. A lot of contemporary art is charged with vanity and self-absorption in your own ideas, but I think there is something to be said for trying satisfy the artistic vision of someone else who may not have the skillset to bring that picture to life. When I paint commissions, I am constantly challenged and forced to think in ways or experiment with new materials & techniques that I otherwise would have probably not considered.?

What influenced your art style?

I didn’t grow up with a lot of fine art in my life. My introduction to art was through cartoons, cereal boxes, and the guy drawing caricatures at a cheap resort on family vacation. I had a talent for drawing from a young age, but it wasn’t until I took an art history survey course in college that I finally realized the power and gravity of oil painting—this grand tradition that has told the stories of humanity and changed how we view the world for six centuries. I became a student of art history, and my current work fuses this grandiose, exclusive art form with the low art and pop culture influences I grew up on. Rather than any one particular artist, movement, or style, I appreciate painting for the plurality possible within it. If you’d ever like to see the type of art I find most inspiring, check out my Instagram page @MakePaintingCoolAgain where I post a new work from a different artist every day.