On Monday, March 20th 2017, Jason Green was visiting guest speaker at the GFU Art Department’s Art Talk Seminar class. Green is a talented architectural ceramicist from Alfred, New York, where he is a professor at Alfred University. He has exhibited his art in over 60 events, and is recognized both in the United States, as well as internationally, including exhibits in China, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
Jason Green attended the University of Connecticut, and as a freshman was focused on English as a major. However, due to his low performance and disinterest in the subject, Green decided to take a break from school and re-evalutated his academic life. During this break he started a job at a race car factory where he would build parts for the cars. This task uncovered a sense of fulfillment and pleasure in the repetitious work, as well as having a high standard for quality and working with efficiency. He began to identify himself as a “maker and builder of things,” a title that he found appreciation in.
After working at the car factory, Green went back to school and switched his major to art. He then found his passion for throwing clay on the wheel. He is quoted as saying that this task is “really accessible and really direct.” He would wonder around his campus and find old, seldom-used science rooms and labs that had older equipment in them. Green would create clay models of some of the equipment, but would abstract the piece in order to abstract the object. One thing that I thought that impressed the crowd at his talk was that he created his works on a CAD program, adding another level of dedication and complexity to his ceramic works.
While I did have the opportunity to spend time with Jason Green outside of Art Talk in my painting class, where he visited with us for about an hour, my opinion of him changed in the small amount of time between class and lecture. When in a one-on-one setting, Green appeared to be quiet and introverted. As he spoke in front of a the usual Art Talk crowd, however, I got the sense that while he is still introverted in nature, Jason Green is very confident in his work, and more importantly (in my opinion), Jason Green is incredibly passionate and dedicated to the work that he does. My personal aesthetic does not attract me to architecture or ceramicists, but I am always impressed and inspired by those who obviously love what they do, and do what they love.
gfuarttalk 
Though I was unable to make it to this art talk due to unfortunate circumstances, from the blog posts and discussing without students who were present at art talk I got the impression that though he may allude to being more reserved and quieter soul, his work speaks boldly of complexity and intricate forms unified with calm tones .
LikeLike
It’s no surprise that Mr. Green is an introvert, but determined. A lot of artists tend to stay quiet and out of the crowd. Which is what I do also.
LikeLike
I enjoyed Green’s ability to make word that stood on its own but could also be used practically. His pieces, when being displayed, were commonly alone and were beautiful. But he did mention that he imagined his work being used on buildings or on walls and such. The versatility of his work is awesome.
LikeLike
You bring up how huge is his around the world.Yet as a speaker he came across very humble about his work. Along with that thanks for including the one-on-one time. As a fellow introverted person it is refreshing to see how far you can get. His “Maker and builder of things” quote. I appreciated more a acceptance part to it. Accept what you truly love and do it. You mentioned a impressing factor to him using a computer aid program.I thought more of it as a YES moment that it acts as a hidden gem to his work. Computer aid programs are made to expand to handwork pieces.
LikeLike
I really liked how Jason worked with the idea of optical illusions. While we typically think of tiles as two-dimensional, he created the illusion of a third dimension by layering 2D designs over his textures.
LikeLike
I loved hearing that he was working on creating more permanent tiles that interior designers and architects would be able to implement in their designs.
LikeLike
I found his large scale pieces to be really interesting. Especially his clay room. Just the whole idea of is very engaging.
LikeLike
I thought Jason’s work was really interesting, I haven’t seen anything like it before! I liked that he used programs to help plan out designs for his work.
LikeLike
I agree Sarah, his work was definitely unique. I also liked that he used programs to plan, which seemed crazy to me because when I start a project I just kind of go for it. He was cool to hear from.
LikeLike
It’s so cool hearing the different processes and things that each artist uses when planning out their project! I am more like Jason in the sense that I need to plan out things before I start my projects! His work was unlike anything i have seen before!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m curious about the scale of Jason’s work. What determines the size of a piece?
LikeLike
I thought it was really cool to see an artist make use of different art techniques and mediums. I never think of computer programs contributing to ceramic works. But Green is able to create beautiful pieces through his work. I thought his patterns were really inventive and inspiring. He could easily open is own tile business.
LikeLike
I glad that you highlighted Green’s appreciation for repetitious work; I found that I could relate to him on this point. While I don’t work in CAD at the same capacity as Green, I recognize that there are several commands that I repeat continually as I move through a project. Like Green, I enjoy the rhythm that the pattern creates in my process.
LikeLike
I loved his creative process, it was really intersting to see how someones process differs so much from others and how it works out for him.
LikeLike
I find it interesting how some artists are now blending the technological advancements with their practice. Ceramicists are known for making handmade goods. Even though he uses computer programs to create his precise molds, his pieces are painted that preserves the hand-craftsmanship. Jason has figured out how to use technology to his advantage.
LikeLike
I agree that he seemed to be incredibly introverted and not accustomed to public speaking, as well as the fact that his work is really impressive. In a really low key way he knows we know it
LikeLike
I like how you pointed out how passionate Green is of his work, and how he has a lot of confidence in what he does. This is something that I noticed as well during his lecture, and it gave me a certain boost of confidence in my work as well. It is reassuring to see that an introverted person can still show their work in front of others and be confident about it, which is something that I feel some people would assume to not be true.
LikeLike
It’s always really inspiring to me to see artists who finally find their nice and from there are fully invested in making and creating. Art for art’s sake. Art made with the level of precision and passion that Jason gives always proves to be extraordinarily detailed and significant.
LikeLike
It was so inspirational to see his creative process and how its very different from other people. The work that Green creates is very different than most of the art work that we have seen.
LikeLike
Green’s work reminded me of M.C. Escher’s work, but with stained glass windows and various stone types. His work was full of simple shapes, yet created wonderfully complex pieces.
LikeLike
I really enjoy the shapes, colors, and forms that Jason incorporates in his work. The process he goes through was interesting to see as I was not very familiar with his type of art. Altogether, his work is very detailed and I liked his use of repetition.
LikeLike
It’s interesting how you note that Jason Green was quiet and introverted when you spent time with him. I am not surprised at your observation, I think Jason’s introversion was evident, not because he came off as withdrawn but because of how persistent and determined he is in his work. It is clear that he spends a lot of time with his craft, and time spent alone. This isn’t surprising because what he creates is so unique and innovative.
LikeLike