Artist of the Month December 2014

Jaya King

San Martin, CA

Jaya King is a local artist who has been showing, teaching and demonstrating her art throughout the Bay Area.  Her work ranges from intense portraiture in gouache to whimsical acrylic animals.  Now based out of San Martin, Jaya continues to push her creativity.  Her most recent explorations have been in the medium of encaustic (painting with hot wax).  She enjoys teaching workshops and watching her students glow with excitement.Jaya has been professionally painting for more than ten years and one of her pieces can be seen in Splash 11: New Directions.  At age 24 she was invited to do a solo show at Stanford University and is in the permanent collection at the Triton Museum in Santa Clara.  She is now represented by Jco’s Place in Los Gatos and Nieto Fine Art in San Francisco.

How and when did you start creating art?

I began creating art at a very young age.   When I picked up my first crayon I was hooked. My parents were and still are extremely supportive of me.  If I drew on the wall (which I did) instead of getting mad my parents would say, “It looks like she needs more paper!”  They’d take a picture of my scribbles before wiping it off.  They made a promise to me that I would always have quality art supplies to work with.  This is something that I never took for granted.  I am aware that not all artists have their parent’s understanding of their creative passion.  Fortunately for me my parents have always been my biggest fans.

What media and genres do you work in?

I work in a variety of media.  I am most well-known for my gouache pieces which are usually painted on scrap lumber that has been worn and weathered.  Most of these pieces are portraits or forgotten landscapes.  I consider this body of work more “raw” and personal.  Over the past 5 years I fell in love with encaustic painting.  I have enjoyed it so much that I began demonstrating the medium and teaching workshops.  By exploring this beautiful art form I am re-inventing my own creative process through abstract imagery.

Who or what are your influences?

Each of my art styles has different influences.  My gouache work is most influenced by the music of Tom Waits, rusted metal, weathered textures, and the skeletons in our closets.  On the other end of the spectrum, my whimsical pieces are completely influenced by my love for my animals.  These are colorful acrylic/collage pieces where my chickens play a big role.  Finally, my encaustic work is totally inspired through the artistic process itself.  It is a more intuitive form of painting where I like to see where my limited color palette takes me.

What was your inspiration for The Chicken That Saved The Day?

Most definitely the inspiration behind this piece was my favorite chicken, Chickey Penny.  She was whole-heartedly my husband’s and my child in feathered form.  She was entirely the inspiration behind a whole whimsical style which I never knew was inside of me.  It is so important for me to share this painting because Chickey Penny was such an amazing influence in my life.  Who knows where inspiration comes from but when it does you need to embrace it, no matter how silly it sounds. 

Describe your creative process?

My creative process starts early in the day when I turn on the classical station, head into my studio, flip on the power and start to melt the wax.  I organize my workspace so it is easy for me to work without interruption.  I might sort through some collage paper for inspiration and I’ll begin gathering materials.  When I begin an encaustic process I will have multiple boards nearby so I can create a little assembly line.  If I am working on a more traditional painting I will clear off the coffee table, arrange my easel and put on a movie that I have seen multiple times.  The day always passes quickly when I paint because it’s my most favorite thing to do.  I’ve included a link to a blog post that I wrote specifically on my creative process. http://jayasart.com/a-day-in-the-life/

What are you working on currently?

I am working on an exciting body of work to launch my encaustic style.  With these pieces I am really breaking the boundaries of my studio and finding that I can work on much larger panels.  I am visualizing a show of about 15 abstract pieces that reflect my favorite muted color palette. 

What are your near/long term goals as an artist?

My ultimate goal as an artist is to create art full time and in doing so support myself totally and completely.  I work towards this in some way or another every day through short-term goals.  For instance, over the next year I am finessing classes and workshops that I teach throughout the Bay Area.  Another short-term goal is to really solidify and organize the business aspect of my art.

Where can people view/purchase your work (gallery, website, etc)?

I am represented by Jco’s Place in Los Gatos, CA and Nieto Fine Art in San Francisco, CA.  Jco’s Place represents my more whimsical style as well as my emerging encaustic pieces.  Nieto Fine Art represents my figurative gouache work.  www.jcosplace.com

I also welcome people to view my website where I post information about upcoming shows and exhibitions. www.jayasart.com  I’ve also begun a blog called “The Fearless Painter” that you can follow on my website.