Jon Wassom
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    • Realistic Eye: Drawing and Painting with Charcoal
BIOGRAPHY

I have always been drawn to things that have involved movement, music, and the arts.  I would consider myself a very versatile artist, and I believe it is because of my diverse experiences growing up.  I have been described by many people as a “Renaissance Man”.  Starting as early as 6 years old, I focused on learning to play musical instruments such as the piano, trumpet, mellophone, french horn, and snare drum.  I received my black belt in Tae Kwon Do.  I’ve always enjoyed flying through the air, so I became a gymnast for 8 years, and then switched to diving in high school, placing 4th at state.  

It wasn’t until I was 16 years old that I found my passion for painting and drawing.  I was fortunate enough to be the first person in the Springville, Utah Museum of Art’s history to receive a Master’s award in the All-State High School show 2 years in a row.  There are only 4 awards in the state given out.  One of the pieces was purchased by a museum curator.  I also was published in 2001 in The Artist’s Magazine for winning The Artist on the Rise competition in the Experimental Category.  Surprisingly, I won out of 13,000 entries.

After graduating High School, I became interested in figure skating.  Once again, I found myself flying through the air.  This was due to watching the Olympians practice for the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.  Within a few years, I got to perform in the Sun Valley, Idaho Ice Show with World and Olympic Champions.


I attended college at Utah State University and was awarded a full-tuition art scholarship in 2002.  In 2006, I was a studio assistant for my professor and Yale graduate Woody Shepherd.  He taught me most of what I know, in terms of stenciling, color theory, additive/subtractive processes, and the freedom of exploration.

Ever since, I’ve been able to work as a full-time artist in the Washington D.C. and Baltimore areas.  I was also given the opportunity to jury a show for Touchstone Gallery in D.C titled “Art on the Small Side”.  While being a gallery member there, I was selected for a commission by Lexus Hybrid Living as the premier artist in a Fairmont Hotel Suite in D.C.  The entire suite was designed around my work.  Everything was in black and white, except for the color of my work on the walls.  I found out afterward, that celebrities such as Nicolas Cage have stayed there.  My work was also published in Spaces, in the Summer of 2008 issue.

I moved to Phoenix, AZ in 2010 to train in pairs figure skating.  I also attended massage therapy school and have worked as a Licensed Massage Therapist. My experience with athletic and artistic movement, as well as the anatomy of the human body strongly influences my work.  Various spiritual concepts are also a major influence. The artists that influence my work are vast and many, but to name a few are: Richard Diebenkorn, Gustav Klimt, Rembrandt, Euan Uglow, R.B. Kitaj, Claude Monet, Edward Hopper, Jackson Pollock, Gerhard Richter, and Vincent Van Gogh.   

Currently, I reside in Salt Lake City, UT with my wonderful husband Felipe and our dogs Jax and Leena.  I'm gratefully living a life I never dreamed of as a full-time artist.  I just successfully completed my 6th solo show in my career thus far.




The Artwork of Jon Wassom
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