The career
Jason Anderson started his artistic career with a stained glass apprenticeship.
His first projects were to begin restoring cathedrals around his native England.
This influence transferred over to Anderson’s paintings.
His landscapes provide a unique kaleidoscope of shapes and colors that are distinctive and beautiful.
The Artist Dropped Out of School to Pursue Art
Anderson dropped out of school at the age of 16 so that he could pursue a career in art.
He worked for five years under the tutelage of stained-glass artist Roy Coomber.
It was a decision of convenience for Anderson.
The studio where he began apprenticing was right around the corner of his childhood home.
It eventually became his placement as part of a technical illustration course.
Then he fell in love with the work and the environment.
Focusing on the restoration work caused him to begin experimenting with lots of different styles.
Anderson says he learned how to compose subject materials around defined slabs of colorized glass.
That influence impacted the way that Anderson sees the world.
You can see sunsets and sunrises in his painting, even though the images are not clearly defined with his blockish style of brushwork.
Anderson Uses Pallet Knives to Create His Landscapes
When Anderson began to paint, he loved how the palette knife could give him some unique textures and shapes.
He discovered that if the colors and tone of the composition are correct, then form isn’t as important.
The brain fills in the rest of what it sees based on what a person is viewing.
That means Anderson’s work creates two separate experiences when you see it in person.
When you’re standing back at a distance, then it feels like a scene.
As you draw close to the paintings, then the shapes and colors take over.
Anderson says that using the palette knife allows him to create straighter, bold lines that give more structure and strength to each piece.
Then he blends them into a smooth background to create raised textures that provide a focal point to the artwork.
You can follow this contemporary artist on Instagram to see the variety of landscapes he has created so far.
