Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tom (Jay) Janssen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Tom (Jay) thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I feel like learning to work with spray paint took a much longer time for me since I was more interested in the graffiti aspect of it. I didn’t have a safe and inclosed environment to really take my time to practice in, unless I was painting graffiti in a sewer tunnel or abandoned building. I always had to keep an eye and ear out when painting graffiti. Learning how to paint at night with the moon as the only source of light, getting chased, moldy abandoned buildings, there were a lot of obstacles that stood in the way of learning to work with spray paint. If I had more resources back when I was learning how to work with spray paint as I do now, I think I could have cut my learning time in half, or even more. But learning how to paint under pressure and with very, very little resources available have helped me shape the artist who I am to this day!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Tom Janssen, but I work under the artist pseudonym Tom Jay. I’m a full time artist and muralist based here in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. I paint murals as my main source of income and I also take on occasional canvas commissions as well as assisting my fellow artists and muralists with their projects. I mainly work with spray paint as my preferred medium of choice, but I also paint with latex paint in my murals as well. I’ve been painting murals of all scales since 2020 without the intention of becoming a full time artist and muralist, it just sort of happened and I rolled with it but I am so thankful for everything that has happened and grateful for everyone who has been a part of my story.
During the riots in Minneapolis in 2020 due to the murder of George Floyd, a friend of mine invited me out to spray paint the wooden boards a local business was using to board up their business to stop looters. While painting these wooden 4’x8′ boards, I recall passing motorists giving me positive comments and encouraging me to paint more. I felt good about what I was doing during such a hard time for everyone. The next day I went back out to paint more wood panels for local businesses. I didn’t accept or ask for any money or donations and I used the spray paint from my personal collection. Before I knew it, I was out painting several businesses a day. One day I think I even painted five different businesses. Local professional artist Peyton Scott Russel took recognition of me, and invited me to assist him with a few of his professional murals. I knew I wanted to paint murals for a living after working with him, but I needed a full time job to support myself through the winter. So I stepped back from the art seen to work, but once spring time hit, I quit my full time job, got “Always Creating” tattooed on my hands as the beginning of a new chapter in my life. With the help of Peyton and other artists, I was able to smoothly merge into the local art scene here in the Twin Cities.
With every mural job there are always unforeseen issues that happen, but honestly finding ways to solve them or to work around them (even with how stressful some can be) is one of my favorite aspects of murals. It’s still a creative way to solve these issues and they give you knowledge for next time. Over time I evolved from painting smaller walls into painting much larger walls by myself and that is one of my greatest accomplishments. To know I can paint such a large painting is very rewarding. Every mural job is just one giant art piece and one giant canvas.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I was actually just discussing this story with one of my colleagues when we were painting a mural together. When painting from observation, you want to paint what you see and to not let your imagination take over to guess what you’re attempting to paint. When I was beginning art college, one of my drawing teachers would say this over and over and I recall thinking to myself something along the lines of “but we’re artists, using our imagination is the best part.” The rebel in me wanted to do the opposite of what we were being taught. After a while I got the hang of it though, and I always keep that tip in mind when I’m painting something from observation. I can still hear my teacher’s words sometimes to this day, and it’s helped me a ton. This technique really comes into play when I’m using the Doodle Grid method for painting murals especially.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Some things I tell clients sometimes when discussing the work load for an upcoming project is there’s so much more that goes into art rather than what people see which is usually the finished piece. The creative process that no one sees or endures besides the artist isn’t really discussed often and people may not truly understand the mental thinking it takes to develop the concept of a piece. When I’m in the beginning concept sketching stage for a mural or canvas, I’ll leave the sketch out somewhere in the open in my house so whenever I pass by it, I can take a quick look at it. I’ll do this for days and over time my ideas will change and grow the more I glance at the sketch. This, and making quick thumbnails (for me personally) can take a few days before I’m set on a design I’m really pleased with.
Aside from developing the concept for a piece of art, creating the initial design takes a fair amount of time also. The other week I clocked in roughly thirteen hours on a design for a mural. I would come home from painting a mural and work on the same design, or a different design for a different mural gig. But no one really sees that aspect, they just see what is getting painted on the wall. Gathering materials, color planning and experimenting, laying awake at night thinking about how I can achieve something specific are all examples of what I’ve personally experienced. There’s always a surprised look on the client’s face or a surprised reaction. There’s a Meme that always comes to mind about this topic that goes “I may not look like I’m doing anything, but in my mind I’m quite busy.” So true!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.artbytomjay.com
• Instagram: @teejay.art
• Other: I just gave my website a complete makeover and now it’s better than ever! Please give it a visit!

Image Credits

Personal photo of myself taken by Jared Hanks. Character in “Create” piece done by guest artist.