Today we’d like to introduce you to JJ Baker.
JJ, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and pretty much lived there until moving to Houston. My interest in art began in high school, due to one of my teachers. I went on to receive my Fine Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati, with a focus on painting and education. After graduating I took a cross country road trip while looking for jobs. I ended up getting a teaching job in Houston, so I moved down here about two years ago. During these two years of teaching, I have been able to continue my own artmaking. Unbeknownst to me, Houston has a great art scene, and I’m glad to be a part of it.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I am a painter at my core. The majority of the work I create uses oil paints, though I also like to blend other media and techniques, including acrylic, watercolor, printmaking, and collage. I like to push the limits of what paint can do, and you’ll see many different paint applications and media in my work.
This year I have limited myself to painting portraits. The faces I paint are taken from a variety of contexts. I pull images from art history, movies, TV, pop culture, and the world around me. I combine these in my work to reinterpret the images as an artist in the 21st century.
My work is about personal identity. People are a lot more complicated than a profile picture or a 5 -second snap, and I combine these complexities in my portraits. I hope that people that people enjoy my work on a visual level. I hope that the paintings entice them to look for longer than just a glance, and when they are really looking at the work, I hope they find something in it that they can relate to.
What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
Go to shows. Go to open studios. Stop by Hardy & Nance and say hi to me, I’ll be in Studio M. I moved to Houston and knew no one here. After these past couple years, I have created a network of friends and artists. Houston is a great city to be an artist. When you are not making art, you should be out at museums, galleries, studios, and bars meeting people.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I currently have a studio at Hardy & Nance Studios, and I always welcome visitors. Hardy & Nancd has open studios at least once every month, so check out their Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/HardyNance/) to see a list of shows and open studios. I am on Instagram @jj.baker.art where I provide lots a photo of my current work. My new website is jjbakerart.com and I also have a blog at https://jjbakerartistatlarge.wordpress.com/. All of my work is for sale and I do commissions as well.
Contact Info:
- Address: 702 Hardy Rd.
Houston, TX 77020 - Website: jjbakerart.com
- Phone: 5132367372
- Email: baker2j5@gmail.com
- Instagram: @jj.baker.art
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