| ARTIST BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: | Jason Bartziokas was born and raised in Jasper, and has returned to live there, after a 12-year absence. He earned a BFA with Distinction (Painting) from the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary in 2004, staying on there to hone his craft. While his oil paintings are rooted in European historical traditions, reminiscent of the Italian masters, he also innovates in his use of modern airbrush techniques, with the high-gloss finish used in the custom automotive industry, lending his work a contemporary feel. Jason is primarily a painter of mountain landscapes, and returned to Jasper to pursue plein-air painting, which gives him a sense of artistic freedom.
He has also been featured in two portrait series exhibits, held at the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives: Familiar Faces in 2016 – unconventional oil portraits of 18 local Jasper residents; and Perfect Strangers (2017) which depicts visitors and those travelling through Jasper. His personal connection with his sitters is vital, as he strives to achieve subtleties of tone and colour which are not accessible through photographs. Jason’s landscapes have been shown at various venues in Jasper; in solo exhibits at Skew Gallery in Calgary, in Summit Fine Art Gallery, Banff, as well as at Mountain Galleries at the Fairmont (Jasper) Hotel, and in private collections across Canada and the United States.
As a hockey player and aficionado, Jason pursues another artistic avenue, creating customized goalie masks and helmets for various NHL clients. Here he also uses the photorealist technique of airbrush, with simple, bold designs that can be seen from afar by spectators, but that contain personal touches intended for the wearer alone. |