Jason Wilkins Creative
Recently we had the great pleasure to catch up with local artist Jason Wilkins, a true shining light in the Peterborough arts community.
We had a great chat about how art affects many of us on a cellular level, and how if you are the creative type, generating new art is as integral to the spirt as breathing.
“If you have it in you and it’s a passion, it’s like a fire – and that fire just keeps getting hotter and hotter. When creating is that much a part of you, you can’t resist creating art!” he says.
Jason Wilkins’ art is bold, bright, and powerful. It encompasses pops of colour defined by bold dark lines, and his designs flow as to draw the eye through the piece. Wilkins creates graphic art which allows each viewer to interpret something completely their own. No two people experience the same feelings when seeing the illustrations which Jason produces. When asked how he would explain his art he says he likes to think he ‘deals in happiness’ with the goal of creating art that brings joy to the viewer.
Wilkins admits that earlier in his career he was afraid of colour – he stayed away from it in his art, creating mostly black and white illustrations. Then, as he progressed through art school and worked on different projects, he was drawn to cartooning and the bursts of bright colour – these influences are evident in his work today. He explains that, as an artist, one’s style is constantly developing and says his is still evolving.
Wilkins recently opened a new studio space called the Jason Wilkins Factory, located at 188 Hunter St. W., Unit 7. This is his third studio space in downtown Peterborough and he feels it was meant to be. The studio is a space in which Wilkins worked as a Content Marketing Specialist at Birchbark Media prior to taking his art full-time, and he considers it a homecoming to be able to make the familiar space his own. The Factory includes The George Gallery, named after Wilkins’ late grandfather, and he is thrilled to be able to develop the 1500 square foot space to showcase not only his own works, but those of other artists within his community. He also offers art workshops and lessons for every age and hopes to bring in other artists to utilise the space, creating classes and experiences for those looking to get more involved in the arts scene.
An alumnus of the Integrated Arts Program at PCVS, Wilkins went on to attend Sheridan College for illustration. Going back to his childhood he can remember spending time drawing and recalls Santa leaving a professional easel for him one Christmas. He says he spent hours sitting at that easel – listening to his Rock 88 tape and drawing his first cartoons. Even then, he knew he needed to create art to feel good and articulates that to this day there is an ache if he isn’t working on something.
Wilkins is very involved in the local arts community and founded the Peterborough Arts Collective.
PAC is a local group of artists who come together to support each other’s work. Recently they hosted an event as part of the First Friday Art Crawl in Peterborough, with art displayed in Wilkins’ George Gallery. Twelve local artists of all skill levels had the chance to share their art. There was a great turnout for the event, and another open house is planned for February, 4th, 2022.
If you live, work or shop in the Peterborough area, chances are you have experienced Jason Wilkins’ work. His murals appear in many well-known spots such as Couture Candy, Sparq Retail on Chemong Rd., The Publican House, PTBO Canada Office, PRHC Family and Youth Clinic, Kawartha Food Share Warehouse (this one is an amazing 60 feet high!) and Kewley Security, who recently commissioned a mural to adorn the walls of their box suite at the Peterborough Memorial Centre. “Murals saved my life during COVID” he says, explaining that being able to share his craft and bring joy to others through dark times meant he could keep working. His calendar has exploded since then; instead of travelling back and forth to Toronto to complete projects, he is finding most of his work in his home community.
When asked about the ‘business’ of art Wilkins says ‘balancing business and the arts is like balancing oil and water; it can be a struggle.”
Wilkins’ advice to artists is this – take yourself seriously, respect your work and know what to charge, don’t undervalue yourself. If you want to take your art to the next level, you have to put in the time – it’s a daily thing like a muscle to exercise. When you put in the time, you start getting more back in terms of work. Then it can become a business and you have to love it, or it’s not going to work.
Jason Wilkins says he is lucky to wake up every day to do what he absolutely loves. “It’s been a pretty cool ride, with lot of ups and downs, but you can make a living at art – it’s not impossible.”
