Jason’s art is the product of an innate desire to observe and record visually.  He focuses on the honest beauty of existence, and his paintings are created from both thoughtful and spontaneous investigations of our common yet strange surroundings.  They extend beyond simple representations as paint and play form intuitive compositions that force the eyes to explore, re-evaluate, and symbolize the ordinary.

A transplant from Mississippi, he now resides in Portland, Oregon with his teammate, Jill, and their two dogs.  Mr. Greene’s art career has included archaeological illustration, interactive exhibit design for children, many shows, and some artist residences. 

Artist's Statement
Growing up in Mississippi, water towers were my mountains.  The tallest structures around, risky to climb, they were a feat worthy of bragging.  With large body on skinny legs, their forms still have an enormous, almost animal presence.  An invention to hold water above us and create pressure, the water tower becomes a giant, capsule chalice, containing our most precious resource.  Like monsters and monuments, they stand over our neighborhoods and lift our sight upward.

I’m convinced that it is human nature to simply move things from one place to the next.  We move stuff and reorganize it to gain some control over our surroundings.  I think the pile sums up this idea.  Everything is in flux, and the only difference between a chaotic pile of wood or bricks and a building is the way it is organized.  The pile of debris holds an ambiguous memory of what it once was as well as an unforeseen purpose.  Considered trashy, chaotic, or even excessive, the pil e has an isolated, lazy, and uncontained potential.  Layers upon layers, all pressing against and supporting others, form the familiar angles of anthills and mountains, the free form of gravity and friction. 

I chose to paint these two subjects not only because I often make metaphors out of the ordinary, but also because I enjoy the comparison between the two subjects.  They are elements in stasis, and though one is contained and one is chaotic, they both represent possibility.  They are man-made testaments to gravity and common icons in the urban landscape.

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