"En Route" 2007 Body of Work by Jason Hargrove

Art is my visual journal. My sketchbook is always with me and constantly overflowing. I see it as a scientific experiment because one subject can be represented in many ways or as an experiment of color to discover what can be done manipulating it for visual pleasure. I find painting to be a way to control my environment, as it is my own world to twist and shape as I please. "En Route" is a visual journal of how I view cultural issues, daily life and travels in the Air Force, and memories of my life before the Air Force.

Starting out as an artist I was captivated by black & white, pen & ink. I developed a detail rich style that I am still perfecting. It takes a year to complete a 32x40 or larger pen & ink. When I looked for a way to bring color into my work gouache met my requirements for bold, even coverage. My gouache paintings, though a much looser style than my pen & inks, still take several weeks to complete.

Ideas crowd in on me relentlessly. I stay frustrated because I want my ideas out and in finished form so I can work on the next one, but as I progress in skill it takes much longer to complete a piece. This onslaught of constant ideas has lead me on a journey to printmaking.

I have a degree in desktop publishing and owned a vinyl sign business before the Air Force. At the time, I was unhappy with the work because it was just out of reach of art and had become mundane. I resented wasting all my artistic energy on throw away signs for clients.   Recently, I began to think of it differently, the equipment was fast and accurate, and I began to see possibilities. I decided to use the leftover equipment and experience to step out of myself. To see if I could put more detail into my art or speed up the process to enhance my main flow of work.

I created a process by which I combine art and machine, my past and my present. I sketch an idea, make the lines bolder and scan it into the computer. I use a program to vectorize (translate the image). I experiment with color, layout and sizes in order to visualize and manipulate the finished piece. I send the image from computer to the plotter. The plotter cuts the outline of the images onto vinyl film to make a stencil. I weed away excess vinyl by hand to expose the stencil itself. I apply the stencil to the canvas or sign blank, paint over it with a roller, and then lift off the vinyl. I often use multiple stencils and color layers to get the affect I envision. I then add more details by hand, refining the image.