Q&A: Questions & Artists – Jason Prigge

Jason Prigge painting at the Bay Art Gallery in Sister Bay, where his artwork is currently on display. Photo by Len Villano.

I first met Jason Prigge four or five years ago when both of us were painting in the Plymouth (Wis.) Plein Air Festival. It was held in September and it was very cold. After we finished our paintings many of us sat down, had a cup of coffee and talked.

I try to feature nationally known artists along with Wisconsin artists. Prigge is a wonderfully talented Wisconsin artist who is from and still lives in Manitowoc. He recently won the Dockside Quick Paint competition in the 2014 Door County Plein Air Festival, and will join the invited artists for the 2015 festival.

Randy Rasmussen (RR): When did you realize you had a tremendous love of art?

Jason Prigge (JP): Growing up. I had two older brothers. When I was three or four years old my eldest brother started drawing Garfield, Peanuts, and I started drawing with him. I really just wanted to play with him but I realized I was good at drawing. I just continued doing something I was good at and this led to painting as I was older.

RR: What is the first drawing you remember doing and how old were you?

JP: I remember doing a drawing of my dad next to his semi-truck. He used to be a truck driver and he owned his rig. The truck was a beautiful pearl blue color and my dad was a burly guy with a beard. I tried to capture the blue color of the truck and my love for my dad in the drawing.

RR: Do you come from an artistic family?

JP: Not really, my maternal grandmother dabbled in watercolors, a little bit of acrylic and oil, all done in the Bob Ross style. My Grandpa Wally was a wood worker all his life. He was skilled at making cornice pieces, beds and dressers. My father was a master mechanic and a welder and had beautiful penmanship. He was skilled at drawing and drafting. Unfortunately in the era he was raised, this wasn’t encouraged. When he was older and dying he confided to me he always had a dream of making welded sculptures.

RR: How do you maintain your passion for painting?

“Holding Hands”

JP: When you love what you do you never work a day in your life. Being able to paint, especially plein air, brings joy to me every time I go out. To me it is never too cold, never too hot, never bad light. I love to look at a scene and transform it into my own “words.” Each time I pick up a brush there is a new and never-ending challenge.

RR: Are there any instructors that have been important in your development as an artist?

JP: I have been a solely self-taught artist. There was a key person in my development as an artist and that was my high school art teacher in Manitowoc. She was perhaps the most important influence I had in becoming an artist. She saw in me the passion and the drive I have to paint. I had never taken an art workshop until this past year when I took a class from an accomplished artist that I know and respect, Tom Nachreiner. His work has had a positive impact on my work.

RR: What was you favorite medium in high school?

JP: I was very fortunate in high school. My instructor put me in an advanced studio class as a sophomore and I essentially had my own studio. She gave me the key to the supply cage saying, “I want you to experiment with mediums.” I tried everything and really have never left oil. Painting murals I use acrylic or latex paint and I have dabbled in watercolor and pastels but my passion is for oils.

RR: What can the student expect in a Jason Prigge workshop?

JP: I emphasize and encourage freedom. Don’t be afraid of failure. The students should feel free to experiment with different brushstrokes and palette combinations. I also think the students should use their intuition. This is especially important painting alla prima.

RR: What do you see as the future of fine art?

JP: We are fortunate to live in an era that is coming back to realistic beautiful art. There has been a lot of emphasis on an almost anti-art way of doing things. This was seen beginning in the ’60s and going through the ’80s. Now with the plein air movement there is a reversal of this trend and I hope this continues. I firmly believe it is the artist’s job to highlight and emphasize the beauty that surrounds us.

RR: How has your work changed over the years?

“Sailboats”

JP: I have changed my work in many ways over the last few years. One major thing is I have become better at doing more with less. Using simple brushstrokes, a limited palette and looking at the subject from a different perspective. My work has evolved from literal to poetic.

RR: When I was at the Bay Art Gallery several weeks ago and watched you paint I noticed a change in your recent paintings. Can you discuss this change?

JP: About a year ago I was involved in a car accident. I was rear-ended by an uninsured drunk driver. I do not know if I had a concussion or if I was seeing my life flash in front of my eyes but I do know I look at things differently now. As you commented in our discussion, my brushstrokes are looser, and my color selection is much more simple. A contributing factor may be the fact that I was not allowed to paint for a time after the accident. I could not lift my easel until I healed and I concentrated during this time on my digital design work on the computer. I returned to my painting, I think, with a fresh eye and a deep appreciation for life. I now look at the world in poetic brushstrokes.

For more information about Prigge visit his blog at priggeart.blogspot.com. To see his work locally visit Bay Art Gallery, located at 2477 Highway 42 in Sister Bay.