Jason Flack with his "Bigfoot" painting in the background. (photo by David Grace)
Artists come to their craft from many directions, Jason Flack, Johnson City, Tennessee, came to painting because of tragedy.
“My parents told me that when I was around 4 to 5 years old,I started drawing on the back of old envelopes. During school, I felt like my super power was drawing for my classmates. I was always coming up with funny pictures, drawing in projects for class and often doing portions of other kids’ homework assignments.
“In the early 2000s, Johnson City didn’t have much going on regarding art, and I was a struggling soon-to-be college drop-out at the time so nothing more than an occasional doodle would be made. That was until three major events happened in the same year: my twin sister, Jessica, died in her sleep in May 2010; a childhood friend of mine was sentenced to prison; and I was homeless for the following summer. After all of that happened, that same friend’s mother gave me an old paint set, and I have never stopped painting since. Up until that point in time, I had never painted in my life,” Flack says.
His painting serves as therapy and helps him to express his emotions about social and racial issues.
“Making art became a necessary therapy for me. It gave, and still gives, me a sense of purpose and growth. And, I also like the freedom of creating — as long as I am able to use my imagination, I can paint anything in my own way. The biggest intrigue, though, outwardly, is seeing peoples’ reactions to my work as I evolve. I believe what interests me the most are the responses from those that view my work.
“I am biracial, or ‘mixed,’ and all my life I have grown up in and represented both sides of the tracks — black and white. I was raised in a mixed household, spending time in both the suburbs and in the more humble neighborhoods in Johnson City.
“I normally limit my intake of watching the news, but not unlike most people in America, I was glued to the TV last year watching all the riots, police brutalities, etc. So, reaching into a deeper place in my thoughts I felt a responsibility to do some race-related art — especially being a person of color who could provide artistic commentary to current social events.
“My award winning ‘Black Nanny’ piece was inspired by stories from my great-grandmother and her early job experiences as a black woman in the South. The painting I called ‘The Lynching of the American Negro’ was a direct response to hearing about Ahmaud Arbery being murdered while jogging. In the Fall of 2020, that same painting was singled-out by a white nationalist group at ETSU while being displayed at Slocumb Galleries during an exhibition. I’ve been able to get responses — some I haven’t enjoyed – from a variety of people with my more thoughtful work,” he says.
Flack’s work is described as urban folk art. He uses bold black lines and bright colors, while expressing his viewpoint in a cartoonish, but realistic style.
“The combination of the two has helped me focus my work and enabled me to capture both joyful and dreadful topics. People tell me there’s a lot of energy in my work, and I am proud to evoke that,” Flack says.
His art influences also reflect that energy.
“Most of my training has been a combination of growing up reading comic books, watching cartoons, obsessively studying my favorite artists’ work, and two years of advanced art in high school. I am a self-taught street artist. So, the sharpening of my skills has come from being such a big fan of art and all things creative and popping-up in every opportunity I could possibly be in that was visual art-related.
“Thinking of how short life is inspires me to not waste any time. So, life inspires me. As far as people, my mom and dad, my fiancée and family – just wanting to make them all proud. The works of artists like Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, R. Crumb, Ed Roth,Genndy Tartakovsky, Margaret Kilgallen,Dr. Seuss and Mike Judge have all been inspiring to me, too. If I want to get pumped-up, I watch old Michael Jordan footage or listen to the music of two past greats, Bob Marley or 2Pac.
Lowe’s recently chose Flack to create a mural as part of their Centennial Project.
“I almost deleted the email sent from Lowe’s HQ. I went to Lowe’s earlier the same day and while finishing up the rest of my errands I glanced at my emails, and I thought it was a survey or promotion. I went back home to reread it and sure enough they wanted my work and thought it would be perfect for their centennial project. They gave me a chance to basically have artistic freedom and only had a few stipulations. That’s major for such a big company to allow artists to just flow. The goal for my mural was to show happiness, togetherness with the use of bright colors and signature bold-black lines. It was important to show diversity and unity,” he says.
Flack’s work can be seen at Bristol in Bloom held Oct. 9 in Bristol, Virginia’s Cumberland Square Park. It is on display at the Mixed Americans show at Tipton Gallery, Johnson City, Tennessee. In the past his work has been chosen for the “Black Diaspora: From Africa to Appalachia to Affrilachia” show at Slocumb Galleries, and the “Local Art in the Age of the 2020 Global Pandemic” exhibit at Mary B. Martin School of the Arts, the “Contemporary Culture Makers” exhibit at Reece Museum. His work won Best in Show in this year’s Appalachian Art Show. His work will be seen in the spring/summer season at William King Museum of Art’s “Humor Me” exhibition.
“I want everyone to know two things in particular; my story and my passion. Both are important to me. I am proud to be an advocate for local art, and I hope I inspire people to be strong and creative. Both are necessary in this life,” Flack says.
