Jarrod Andrew Becker
Showing his work under the name, jabart.
1968 – Born in Highland Heights, KY
Jarrod Becker is a contemporary artist living & working in the Northern Kentucky, Greater Cincinnati area. His work resides in collections throughout the United States.
Statement
I am captivated by the interplay between nature, the human figure, goodness inherent in humanity, and the rich narrative of living. My work serves as a testament to the interconnectedness of these elements, expressed through the fusion of messy paint handling and mixed media. Each piece is an exploration of story and the human experience, offering a narrative that celebrates beauty found in imperfection and the fundamental goodness that resides within us.
Nature serves as my baseline muse. I find inspiration in a word, the scent of warm wool, painted lines on a roadway, shells in the sand, the tilt of a persons head, milk in ones cereal bowl. These elements infuse my creations with a sense of vitality and rhythm, with hopes of inviting viewers to connect with the pulse of the natural world. Simultaneously, the inherent goodness of humanity is woven into the fabric of my work, depicting stories of goodness, resilience, and a quest for meaning.
The human figure becomes a central motif in my work. I like to delve into the essence of the human experience, using the figure as a conduit to explore the nuanced relationships we share with our environment. Through expressive strokes and intentional chaos, I seek to capture the raw and untamed aspects of the human spirit, celebrating the basic goodness that often emerges in our interactions with one another and the world around us.
Mixed media enriches the layers of my work, offering a diverse palette that mirrors the multifaceted aspects of living. Incorporating elements such as collage, found objects, graphite, charcoal, and finally paint, each piece becomes a tactile and visual exploration layered texture inviting viewers to engage with the artwork on multiple sensory levels.
Vibrant color and loose mark marking invites viewers to embark on a unique journey through the story of living. The diverse artistic approach ensures that each piece of work can stand alone in style, celebrating the ever-changing narrative of existence.
In essence, my art is a celebration of beauty found in imperfection, an ode to the ever-evolving dance between chaos and harmony, and goodness that resides within us all. Through the messy and distinct handling of paint and media.
Selected Exhibitions
2015 – Covington Arts, Covington, KY
2014 – BLDG Gallery, Covington, KY
2010 – High Street Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
2008 – Red Tree Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
2007 – Southgate House Gallery, Newport, KY
2003 – Dicere Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
2002 – Gallery 109, Covington, KY
2001 – Art Omnibus, Cincinnati, OH
1999 – The Cove, Cincinnati, OH
1998 – Base Art Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
1995 – Thornapple, West Chester, OH
1994 – Base Art Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
1994 – The Attic Gallery, Newport, KY
Grants, Awards & Honors
Great Meadows Foundation Artist Grant recipient, 2017
Great Meadows Foundation Artist Grant recipient, 2015
Northern Kentucky Scholarship Exhibition, Third Floor Gallery, Northern Kentucky University, 1994-95
Bibliography
“William and Mary Review” College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 2009
“Citybeat Magazine” “bruder” show review, 2007
“CaGzine.com” Interview, 2007
“CityBeat Magazine”. Articulations: Inside Artists’ Heads, 2006
“William and Mary Review”, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 2005
“The Licking River Review”, NKU Publication, Highland Heights, KY, 1995
Somewhat of a Bio
I have been a wanderer of sorts done everything from selling boutique wines to working a horse farm, to photographing muscle cars to building backdrops at a scene shop before delving into the world wide web and design, working in television media for a LOCAL CBS affiliate for 12 plus years.
While he has studied painting, drawing, and multiple media of fine art at Northern Kentucky University, Anthropology at the University of Cincinnati, and Political Science at Thomas More College, Becker does not hold a formal degree of any sort.
Being self-driven and opposed to indoctrination, Becker has always felt he had more to gain through a path of personal experiential education and the taking of chance artistically on his own time to fail and prosper.
During his time, never one to keep still, he founded an art & craft market event based out of Rabbit Hash, KY called Folksiders. He was a founding partner of a digital publisher called Willow Frog, illustrating digital interactive children’s books.
He has since illustrated and published the hardback book, The Boy Who Wore a Dress.
Currently, he’s the Artistic Director and partner for an art and design firm in Covington, KY called BLDG (www.BLDGbrands.com).
Through this position, he has worked on well over 60+ murals, designing, illustrating and/or painting them. These murals can be found in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, and Tennessee.
He lives in Erlanger, KY near the railroad tracks in an old 1880’s wood frame monster that sucks him dry of money, muscle, & effort while refueling himself with reading, digging in creeks and beaches, collecting stones and shells, cooking fresh food, keeping company with his wonderful family & friends, and making his art.
On Inspiration
Inspiration: All can & will inspire.
The potential is present in everything: a word, the scent of warm wool, painted lines on a roadway, the tilt of a persons head, milk in ones cereal bowl.
You have to create inspiration, you have to search for it, design it; you have to want it. There must be a need to be dazzled, intrigued, overwhelmed, interested.
You have to take yourself on little crusades of curiosity and fulfillment.
You have to dig in the dirt to find it, you have to enjoy scratching through the surface, you have to sift the sand to find those things that many never see. Here lies the marvel of life.
The marvel is not in the luck of occurrence or the waiting to be hit over the head by surprise, but that which is found through your own personal search and thirsts for wonder.
And if you set about on this search, you will find that inspiration can be the beginning step of a path one cannot stray from.
And the most important step lies beyond inspiration, and that step is the process of creation. For it is there that lies salvation and ones definition as an artist and a human being.