We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jay Reed. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jay below.

Jay, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

In my early twenties I knew after selling objects I made with my own hands that people liked and that were fun to make.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My father, a very creative person, had a big influence on me though I did not know it at all at the time of growing up. He had graduated from Art Center and became a commercial photographer. He worked with a lot of the cutting edge designers of the time including Charles and Rae Eames and our house though not extravagant did have very contemporary furniture and accessories because of my father As a teenager, I did not get along well with him and so I wanted nothing to do with photography or any other art endeavor he was involved with and I ended up moving out on my own at 18.

In my twenties I got a job at a glass and mirror shop and learned how to cut, polish, bevel, and install glass and mirror. After work I started making things from glass in my garage from scrap glass I was allowed to take from work. Chess boards were the first product and then I started making wall designs from glass and mirror. I taught my brother how to work with glass and we started showing our work at the Marina Del Rey Art Show every Sunday. In short order we were making more money on Sunday than our regular job and so we quit and went into business as artists. We traveled almost every week to street fairs, opened a studio, and we were in business for over five years. During this period we also worked with wood, metals, neon, and other materials and we did custom mirror work for several interior designers in Beverly Hills.

My interests changed when I got married and started having kids and I gave up the business to my brother to find a career that could make a lot of money. Ultimately, after a couple of jobs, I got a job with a General Contractor first as a carpenter and then as a Construction Superintendent building retail stores where I stayed for twenty five years.

During this time I made art and furniture on the side for my own house after work. One morning I woke up and declared “I am ready to make art!”. I started making mixed media assemblages using construction materials- a lot of it recycled from jobsites. I got very excited about using recycled materials to make art objects – the materials being used in a completely different manner than their original use.. This is when I started realizing that my father’s aesthetic values, concern for high quality, originality, and work practices, had sunk into how I approached looking at and making art.

Today I am in business as a full time artist. There are several areas I work in: painting, sculpture, mixed media, assemblage, collage, stained glass, and furniture. I show my art primarily at galleries but I also can do more customized individual pieces.
I am very concerned about preserving nature, animals, the oceans, and the air we breathe. Most of my paintings are about landscapes- showing them in an abstract manner so as to get the viewer’s attention- looking at and thinking about nature. My sculptures are designed to use natural materials in human scale to add unique, complementary art to a home or other interior setting. The main thing I want potential clients to know is that I am open to talk about any idea, potential design, or concept they might have in mind and I will respond as to how I may be able to help and contribute.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is that over time I have developed looking at all aspects of life through my artist’s eyes. When I walk into an office the first thing I see is the art hanging on the walls, not the receptionist. I look at ordinary objects and see how something about them is visually unique- the shape, color, shadow, surroundings- something different that is not mundane. Looking at things this way alters my perspective dramatically- pulling up a fish out of the water on a hook- looking at the fish and seeing how beautiful it glistens in the sun- who on earth would want to hurt it?

Regarding the business of art, when I first started I would be very hesitant showing something I created for fear of it offending someone or that it was inferior in quality or that the finished product was somehow not very good. Over time, I started giving up those ideas- when someone looked at a piece of my art and commented “I don’t like that”- at least I got a reaction which is way better than no reaction. Andy Warhol said: “Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.”

And lastly, for me the most important insight I had is that there are only a handful of artists selling their art for lots of money; that making art (the process of making art), enjoying the process without worrying about the outcome is what it’s all about.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

In my view art, music, and foreign languages should start being taught in kindergarten and continue through the 12th grade and beyond. Teachers should be paid a higher wage for their knowledge and skills. Society (on Federal, State and Local levels) should grant monies to make public art, all kinds of art, Members of the public would love to contribute to large scale art ( see the artist JR’s film Paper and Glue that clearly demonstrates public contribution). I know many cities mandate a percentage of money to be spent for public art at all newly built buildings- local artists who live and work in the area should be given extra attention in the selection process- keep it local if possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://jayreedart.com/
• Email Address: jayreedart@gmail.com
• Youtube: Arts of Starved Rock- Studio Sessions 4