Congratulations to Jason Fastier for earning his place as Finalist in the Boynes Artist Award 8th Edition [Young Artist Category]!

Who are you?

I was born in New Zealand and spent my childhood growing up in small towns and rural parts of the South Island. Art has been a core part of my life since primary school, where I started to realize I had a special passion and ability to create. During high school the art room became like my second home.

In 2016, I moved to Wellington to study Visual Communication Design at Massey University. Having only ever lived in rural areas prior, the city life was quite a change of pace for me. Although my heart will always be with nature, I quickly found myself falling in love with the area. This passion for both the natural and urban environment now shows through in my work which has evolved to be a blend of both. I am obsessed with finding and capturing hidden, abandoned spots in the city which show how the natural world reclaims man-made areas in fascinating ways.

When choosing my degree I knew my heart was really in making art, but didn't consider being an artist to be a viable career and thought that studying design instead of fine arts was a good creative alternative. I absolutely loved my degree, and wouldn’t change a thing about my decision. However, I began to realize that a full-time design job wasn’t what I wanted. Throughout my studies, I continued painting in my own time, and constantly pushed projects to incorporate my artistic side. By the time I graduated in 2019, I knew I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t at least give my dream an honest shot. So, I began hiring out a studio space and pursuing the life of an artist. Today I work out of a studio right in the heart of the city and continue to push and improve myself as an artist.

What inspired you to utilize painting as a medium?

I’m drawn to the works of old masters like J. M. W. Turner, Johannes Vermeer and Caspar David Friedrich. The way they capture light, color and atmosphere with a paintbrush is absolutely magical to me. The depth and complexity of colors, subtlety and emotion captured leaves a feeling of awe that I’ve never felt in any other medium. 

I first began painting with acrylics but switched to oils after starting at University. While the medium brings extra challenges with cleaning and fumes, I find the extended drying time and consistency of colors makes painting much more enjoyable. There is a lot of flexibility with how you can work with oils. Sometimes this can be overwhelming, but it is also very exciting and leaves a lot of room for creativity.

How would you describe your work?

My paintings aim to take the viewer on a journey through a bizarre alternate reality. They are created in response to the ever-increasing environmental destruction of today’s modern world. Each piece gives a snapshot into an alternate ‘surreal’ reality where nature is allowed the freedom to regrow and flourish into something new. Grounded in the natural beauty of NZ landscape, I highlight local hidden spots and incorporate native flora and fauna into my scenes. I take all my own reference photography and put a lot of effort into capturing the perfect lighting often in the ‘golden hour’ that illuminates a scene in the best way possible. 

The snail creature features throughout and acts as a ‘symbol’ for the force and beauty of naturefighting back. They are primarily based around the Powelliphanta, a giant breed of snail onlyfound in NZ. Spiral shapes like those found in snail shells link back to the Golden Ratio spiral,which features in countless examples throughout nature. The natural ‘perfection’ of growth in flowing curves and flowing lines are juxtaposed with rigid straight lines of structures in my work.

What drew you to implement surrealism into your work?

I love realism and capturing the beauty of our natural landscape, but I’m also drawn to fantasy. I find that surrealism is the perfect blend of both. I have always adored the works of Salvador Dali and M.C. Escher, who continues to inspire me greatly. There is something so fun about the feeling you get looking at a surrealist piece. Some aspects feel familiar, while others feel bizarre. Each piece is like a puzzle, where you try and figure out what is happening and the story behind it. I love getting lost in these worlds, and hope to capture some of that in my own work.

Can you discuss the inspiration and thought process behind your finalist work?

I usually start a new piece by first picking one of my reference shots that really captures me. The reference for ‘Expanse’ was actually taken about 4 years ago, on my phone while visiting Castle Point on the Wairarapa coast of NZ. I fell in love with the effect of light passing through a small gap in the stormy clouds and beautifully illuminating a path down the hillside. I’d been wanting to paint some different types of snails/shells and thought this piece was the perfect shot to try out some sea creatures emerging from the depths and following the light path. 

Can you walk us through the technical steps of creating your finalist work?

The first key step is picking a shot and editing the photo to get the desired lighting and depth. Although I will adjust while painting, it’s always easier to start with the best image possible. Next, I sketched out some ideas on paper and began making a Photoshop mockup. I brought in a shot of another sky which I referenced for more dynamic colors, and an image of an old Jeep I had. Once I had it all figured out I used a grid system to scale up and draw my plan onto a large canvas and begin painting.

I began painting with a rough block-in layer to establish values, forms and colors. I then go back to starting from the sky and working my way to the foreground so that I’m layering each element on top of each other. Finally, I work back in with extra details, highlights and glazes to adjust the piece. I always make sure to leave room in the values until the very end when I put in the brightest spots of the painting to make it really pop.

What do you hope to communicate to an audience with your work?

While I do have larger environmental themes underpinning my work, I really just hope to instill a sense of wonder and curiosity in my audience. I want them to be lost in this fantasy world, like a child is lost in a picture book. I like to leave the story of the piece as open to interpretation as I can. I find that everyone has a different connection and formulates their own story based on what they see, which is often very unexpected to me. 

Can you talk about your biggest learning experience during the process of creating your work?

My biggest lesson has been in the importance of planning and working on the early stages of a painting, which I am still trying to improve on. I am sometimes lazy in the planning and mocking up the stage of each piece because I’m so eager to get straight into the good bit and make the painting beautiful. But I then get halfway through and find I’m feeling lost with what to do and have to start changing things because it doesn't fit with my vision anymore. 

So I’ve found the process much easier when I focus on good reference shots, detailed drawingsand taking my time during the block-in stage. Of course, there is still room for things to changeas I paint and I think that is very important also, but having a clear plan is invaluable to me. I amnot the kind of artist who can start throwing paint at a blank canvas and come out withsomething beautiful. I truly envy those that can, but everyone works in a different way and you just have to find what inspires the most creativity in yourself.

Can you discuss your biggest success since starting your artistic journey?

My biggest success was when I sold my painting ‘Sky 21’ at a large art show last year. Previously I had mainly only sold paintings as commissions to friends and family, which were usually ‘realism’ pieces conforming to what was requested. Leading up to the show I tried to create some works that were more simple and I thought would appeal to the crowd more. But ‘Sky 21’ was special, because I allowed myself to paint whatever I wanted, to go crazy and not think about whether it would sell or not.

It was a huge moment for me when it sold and the others I created specifically to cater to themasses didn’t. That really proved to me that I don't need to conform or change myself to sell art.I can paint exactly what I want and stay true to myself as an artist, and that passion will showthrough in the success of the final piece. My work appeals to a more niche market than some, and so getting this reassurance was really important for my confidence moving forward.

What projects are you working on currently?

I’m working hard on a few more Wellington-specific paintings which will be displayed in the NZ Art show coming up soon. Currently on the easel is a shot of the Terrace Tunnel which has been abandoned and overgrown, taken over by purple snails. I post progress shots and videos of my paintings in progress on Instagram as I work. 

What is your dream project or piece you hope to accomplish?

This is something that has been on my mind a lot recently. I have a grand plan for a very large triptych painting which would be 3-4 meters across. It would act as the culmination of my entire art journey to date, as well as a reference map for the future. The piece would feature references to every single painting I’ve done so far and every artist that inspires me. Essentially I want to build an entire fantasy world and place all my work within it, in a coherent ‘timeline’ of events. I would then use this as a starting point for future paintings, placing them within the same world. 

The painting would be displayed in a solo exhibition, along with supporting elements such as sculptures, other smaller paintings and even stories which all build the narrative and picture of this world. My working name for this piece is currently ‘Origins’

As a finalist, do you have any advice for artists who want to submit to awards, competitions, residencies, etc.?

I would say be selective and stay true to yourself. Create what you truly want to paint, and look for opportunities that align with your values, style and ideas as an artist rather than trying to change yourself or create specifically for competitions. They can be expensive, and they aren’t for everyone! If you try to enter every single competition out there and make your work fit ones it usually wouldn’t, you might find yourself with no money and a bunch of work that isn't you. Truly passionate work will always shine through. 

Lastly, I like to ask everyone what advice they would give to their fellow artists/photographers, what is your advice?

I know how valuable social media is for an artist's career and success, but sometimes you really just need to put it down and take a break for a while. I’m still trying to get better at navigating this myself. Everyone online seems to be better than you, more talented, more organized and just generally vastly more successful and happy. I find this can make you quite anxious and it's important to take a step back and realize that it is all a facade and we are only seeing the absolute best parts of that person. We are all at different points in our artistic journey and that is okay. Comparison is the killer of motivation and inspiration. Make time to celebrate your own successes no matter how small they may seem.

To view more of Jason Fastier’s work

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