Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Bishop.
Hi Jake, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I have always wanted to be an artist. From an early age, I knew that I would end up in an art career of some sort. It’s kind of ironic though- I am colorblind, yet, I have this fascination with colorful things. The colorblindness isn’t a complete lack of color vision but rather being able to distinguish between certain shades. It can be problematic when trying to recreate exact colors or to see certain elements.
From that early age, I knew what I wanted to do, but I didn’t have the training yet. When I graduated high school, I applied to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to begin learning and studying art. It was there that I found my passion for painting. I have continuously fallen more in love with art as I keep myself involved with things such as studio time, art shows, events, etc. Using my passion for art, I helped bring an art magazine back to life called Gesso Magazine. It helps promote local artists of all kinds and gives them a platform on which to showcase their art.
Being a part of the community with the magazine and showing art through my personal art career has allowed me to continue to do the things that I love most and I am very grateful for that.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being a colorblind artist has its challenges, but knowing color theory helps. By not being able to see the variations in shades of colors, my pieces are one of a kind and I can never duplicate them. It also gives them a unique look. While not photo-realistic, I strive to achieve as realistic of a look as possible.
With Gesso Magazine, Covid hit us pretty hard. With people staying home and shows getting canceled all the time, it gave us a pretty big setback and didn’t allow us to be at events like we once were a part of.
We had been printing over 5,000 physical copies of our magazine and delivering them to over 700 locations around Saint Louis and the metro-east and after things shut down, it forced us to downsize and go completely to digital versions.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am known for creating large, colorful paintings. The color choices that I tend to use represent more of a Pop-Art style with bright yellows, reds, and blues. Although I mix my colors on a palette, sometimes I prefer to mix my colors directly on the canvas. This allows me to control blending from one color to the next. The average size of my work is around 4 to 5 feet and because of this, I can not only capture large amounts of detail, but the image itself creates a striking presence from the moment it is viewed.
The subject matter I typically work with is the human body. Every face has a story to tell. If I am not referencing a pop-culture icon, the faces I capture tend to be painted and manipulated to make them more androgynous. I find that the best story is one that is personal to the viewer and by allowing my viewers to see what they want, they create their own stories.
This adds to the complexity of each of my pieces during the creation period. I tend to use found materials such as journals or documents to create an undertone that enhances the overlaying image as well as the use of heavy applications of paint to give a thick texture to the piece. Every piece that I show has been created with a specific story in mind and signed with my version of a Bishop chess piece- not just as a reference to my own name, but as a reminder to my viewers on how to approach the viewing of my pieces.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
The best way to reach me is through email at Jakebishop@live.com and through social media @JakeBishopArt.
Contact Info:
- Email: JakeBishop@live.com
- Instagram: @JakeBishopArt
- Facebook: @JakeBishopArt
