A Conversation With Artist JK Inson
/So often we think of art as something we enjoy at galleries and museums, interior decoration, or even an investment. Yet art is also a small part of the artist themselves and a reflection of their journey leading to the piece’s creation.
We recently sat down with multimedia artist and sculptor JK Inson. He graciously gives us background into his life and decades of creating so we can appreciate his pieces in a deeper way.
Inson posed in front of a self-portrait in oil
“Maquette for Breakout”, bronze-coated resin, 16 ¾ x 10 x 18 in.
How long have you been making art?
Probably most of my life, from at least 3rd or 4th grade. I was at least curious about it, but back then I was just drawing cowboys, Indians, dinosaurs and such, along with a lot of abstract designs.
What first inspired you to start?
I wondered why things looked the way they did. When I was a child, we lived on a farm and our house was between two forests. One I thought was “bad” because it was overgrown and difficult to enter. The tops of the trees made shapes that looked like monstrous beings. My dad told me about magical things happening there. He said he found a trunk full of water in there once and washed his face in it. When he wiped his face on his shoulder, it made all his freckles slide from his cheeks to his shoulder. Well, I believed it since his freckles were indeed on his shoulder. My art is still influenced by such things.
Where did you get your art education and what did you study?
I had a passing interest in art until I returned from two years in the Army in 1968. (I ended up spending 10 years total in the Army.) When I got married, my mother-in-law was an artist, which got me interested in a full-time career in art. Mostly painting. I spent a couple years learning to weld, which became important for my later sculpting. I got a Fine Arts degree at the same time out of pure passion for it. I received a BFA in Fine Arts and Art History, followed by an MA in Anthropology, which was centralized around stylistic art images as functional language.
“Old School”, bronze, Ed. of 10, 8 ¾ x 9 ¾ x 4 ½ in.
“Gracile”, bronze, Ed. of 6, 14 ½ x 11 x 3 ½ in.
You worked in the art world in a few different capacities. What did you do in your career before joining the Gallery?
Before coming to Santa Fe in 2001, I worked in the film industry in Southern California. Mostly as a scenic artist in film, TV, and commercials where we painted large backdrops. We also did murals in places like Las Vegas, Reno, and casinos around the country. We specialized in sky paintings, but before that I painted lots of landscapes, portraits and commissions like murals.
You work in a variety of media. Do you have a favorite and why?
I enjoy all sorts. Each has a different way of expressing your intention. Even in close things such as painting, like oils or watercolors. Each forces its own direction, which brings out responses in viewers that can be entirely different and surprising.
Your wife is an artist as well. What’s it like being married to a fellow artist?
We both are so distinct in our art that it is not so different from us driving a similar car. We both do it, but it’s not quite the same.
What do you find most inspires you and informs your subject matter?
My art typically revolves around those things that trouble my mind most, wondering why people are the way they are and how they got that way. What makes some things beautiful and others not. Also, questions like why any of that matters anyway?
“White Pelican Day”, white marble, 8 ½ x 6 x 7 in.
Cayucos Jasper Rose with Ricterite Cabochon Necklace
You built a bronze foundry at your house and often execute the casting process from start to finish, which most artists don’t. What drives you to be so involved in your work?
I’m stubborn. I like to know how things are done. The trouble is I’m getting old, which makes it harder to do.
For questions or inquiries about JK Inson or any of the available pieces featured in this post, please contact inquiry@matteucci.com or call the Gallery at (505) 982-4631.