Interview with Jason “Turtle” Hannon

Growing up in a family of artists and musicians, how did this environment shape your initial interest and approach to art? 

 As a kid I lived on and off with my Aunt who was a formally trained oil painter with a Masters in Fine Art and practiced in a high fantasy type of art with a lot of mythological themes in her works. I was always excited to occasionally peak into see in her studio and the progress she would make on rather large paintings. She was very into the renaissance period. I just remembered the scale and realism was always fascinating to me how she could achieve such types of work, it seemed you could almost feel the hairs on a head of a figure or the emotion conveyed in the facial expressions so clearly. There was always a lot of guitar playing and classic rock playing around me as a kid. It seemed like I was living in a small Woodstock concert at times. Needless to say the vibes were creative whether someone was trying some pottery or writing a song or showing off their latest creation. I started to draw in a sketch book with my cousin and we would come up with silly characters that would be in a band or in my case riding a skateboard and even punk rock figures with giant Mohawks. Really just passing time in my boredom became an outlet for drawing. There was a certain value that came from finishing a sketch or drawing and showing it to friends and family and I loved the compliments that came from something I created.

Your teenage years were marked by experimenting with spray can art in unconventional spaces. How did this form of expression differ from the traditional oil painting you were exposed to, and what did it teach you about art and creativity?

I had moved to Austin Texas at 9 which was a huge city to me from a very small rural town which lacked art in any form not to mention the freedom to be creative. I was first exposed to street art in elementary school that I attended when I moved. The school was located downtown in East Austin which back then was a very impoverished area but nonetheless was always full of elaborate colorful murals and large graffiti pieces everywhere you looked. I would ride the school bus every day and just stare out and hunt along the way for a new piece of artwork created or something I may not have seen before. The art was beautiful and expressive and had so many messages in it. Sometimes it would just be the name of the artist and other times it was a scene from perhaps the artist time in the world which captured a mood or pain or real struggles and took you to that place in the work. These pieces were always complimented by a character on either end or both that almost seemed a representation of the artist in a self portrait for all to see. The graffiti art was largely influenced by local Hispanic culture and driven from a point of story telling as I later learned. There was almost a secret society vibe that came along with it and you only understood if you participated. I wanted to practice the letters and styles every chance I got and became enthralled with the movement.

The main thing I really saw differently from a formal painting process with oil on canvas was there was an urgency that came along with a rebellious freedom needed to practice street art under the cover of darkness and the anxiety of not knowing when you had to run. This also meant you had to come back to finish the piece perhaps a day or week or so later. There was a commitment that was relentless. The process of painting with a brush on canvas requires consistency and discipline to return to the canvas at your convenience and also have the drive and desire that’s self propelled to completion. 

You mentioned a pivotal moment when you realized abstract art was where your heart was. Can you elaborate on this moment and what about abstract art resonates so deeply with you?

I think I probably realized abstract / contemporary art was for me the first time I started to get into canvas work. I initially started to work in realism and got really bored really fast and didn’t have the patience or training to get where I wanted to that made me emotionally connected to the work I was trying to do. Somewhere around 1999/2000 I began to work with shapes and color and movement of the strokes that felt organic and excited me when I painted. It was the first time I found myself really excited about stepping back into a piece I was working on. I would like I do today start with a single brush stroke on the canvas and work outward through the piece layering colors and building each time. At this point I really found the softness of blending and combining colors to get a desired effect I wanted and then complimenting or contrasting it with various colors. It’s not for everyone but my format is no format. I don’t sketch anything out or rarely have an idea of where a blank canvas will take me. I think for me that’s the experience is “not” knowing what is yet to come. It does sometimes cause a bit of frustration but can also be extremely surprising when you walk away from a finished piece. I love the conversation around the work and the interpretation from others eye as they view a piece.

   ( 2002 “ Congo Warrior “ Oil On Canvas , 24x36 ) 

Working under the famous mural painter Ian Gilles, what were some of the most valuable lessons you learned about the practical and creative use of latex and acrylic? 

In my late teens and early 20s my father trained me to be a regular house painter. Albeit very boring and monotonous work I did make a good living during those times. Somewhere around 1995 a new type of decorative painting hit the market here called Faux Finish work and or some would call it properly Trompe - l’oeil painting. This type of work is made to fool the eye into thinking you maybe walking into a Roman Coliseum for a bedroom when in fact its the use of concrete materials troweled on a wall with various layers of glazes and washes to convey and old world feel. With my background in art I took a course on some of these techniques to better understand the desired outcome clients looked for. I was lucky at the time to work for several interior decorators around town and we started to push these finishes into custom homes that at the time builders would display in the model homes of a new development or known as “parades now homes”. During one of these shows I met one of the artist who was absolutely brilliant at his ability to create this whimsical effect in a home. Ian Gilles had become a local legend and one of the most sought after artist in the area. We became fast friends and I asked to apprentice with him and we worked together for several years and created some incredible work together. He was a Scottish Painter and muralist with a proper education and degree in art so he taught me a lot about the mastery of latex glazes and washes as well as textured finishes to create a desired effect. The thing I learned the most was to just add water or even dish soap or whatever acrylic medium you needed to along with powder pigments and or paint colors to get what you need the walls to look like and then build on it. Layers and layers and sponges and old brushes and plastic bags and tarps draped on wet walls and then pulled off was just a few of the techniques used. His formative ways of exploiting paint for a desired look was inspiring to say the least and taught me there really are no rules in art just interpretations.

 ( 2008 “ Welcome to the Jungle” Oil On Canvas 60x40 )

Your transition to focused, imaginative abstract pieces using oil paints was a significant shift in your career. What draws you to oil paints specifically, and how do you feel they enhance your ability to convey your artistic vision?

Oil paint is like no other when it comes to blending color and using the paint to create softness. At the same time oil can also create distinctive hard edges and allow for immediate contrast. Drying time is my enemy when it comes to acrylic, I stopped trying to get what I wanted out of water base paint a long time ago. It does really lend to the building process overall and gives me the depth I want in my work.

( 2006 “ Verde “ Oil on Canvas , 60x48 ) Soft Color Blending 

Sharing a studio space with your wife, Sarah, who is also an artist, must be a unique dynamic. How does this partnership influence your creative process, and what have you learned from each other's artistic disciplines?

I’m very very fortunate to have married a creative soul. She is proficient in so many different types of art. I have always been inspired by her determination to take on a new venture in creativity and then hone it into some of the best work in the vein she is practicing. At the moment she has been creating incredible stained glass work for the last several years and has blown me away with her level of detail and process. She has seen me paint since the beginning and watched me go through many phases of my work. It’s great to have her near me for feedback and another eye to see what I can’t or wont see in a painting. As a person who is blessed with a bit of OCD she is also my chief edition helping me to break away from a piece when its done or should be done. I have been known to stand in front of a painting near the end with brush in hand for hours contemplating the inevitability of it being finished. I think walking away from the emotional attachment of the work is the hardest decision I make in my process. Sharing a space with her while working gives me an ease and calmness and keeps me from eating myself alive with uncertainty.

 ( “Eden” 2021 Oil On Canvas 72x96 )

You have a distinctive philosophy on how color moves through life and art. Could you share more about how you choose your color palettes and how you use them to evoke emotions in your work?

Interestingly enough my palettes of color evolve through the process from beginning to end. I really enjoy seeing 2 or 3 colors that marry very well and then have something come in unexpectedly but at the same time be very inviting to the moment of the work. I have always been very good with colors and their relationship to each other and also how it makes the viewer feel when they see it. Lately I have really been into a very vibrant range of work and move into colors that i may not feel comfortable with in a piece. I recently did a piece for a show last year called “Luminous Glow” which carried a huge range of yellows and golds with some magenta and pinks that is usually very uncomfortable for me to practice in. The process took me on a journey and by the end had some blues and greens come into play that really rounded it out and gave me a huge sense of accomplishment. This became my favorite piece of the show and also was most everyone’s favorite as well. 

  ( “ Luminous Glow “ 2023 , Oil On Canvas 40x60 )

Color does move through life. During the Covid days I would dare say these times reflected in my work worth a lot of black and heavy tones that really felt like the suffocation of the world at the time. On a beautiful spring day after a long winter that first glimpse of almost neon green that foliage presents is always emotionally stirring in new hope and fresh life. Cool blue oceanic tones often give most people a sense of calm and relaxation. Yellow hues can bring warmth and a glow of hope. I want to try to capture these feelings in the work and mix in the movement that may be associated with the colors. Luminous Glow really gave a strong sense of warmth and renewal as well as a calming effect that resonated with viewers. I want to convey emotion through the selection of colors on the canvas. I had a client that bought a piece ( “The Olive Wing” ) a few years ago from a show and told me that it gave them hope from the moment they saw it and even though she couldn’t really afford to buy the piece and wasn’t looking to purchase artwork at the time this painting spoke so strongly to her she went for it and now adorns her living room every day. To me this is the greatest compliment as an artist.

( “ The Olive Wing “ 2020 Oil On Canvas 48x48 )

  ( “ The Over Under” 2021 Covid Days , Oil on Canvas 48x48 )

Your work often challenges conventional perspectives and evokes strong emotions. Can you describe your process for translating abstract concepts or emotions into visual art? What techniques or approaches do you find most effective in achieving this?

This is a very tough question because I think there is so many avenues to take.

Let’s break this into a couple of parts. Conventional ( following traditional forms and genres ) being a self taught artist there is no limits or rules to follow or structure imbedded in me via schooling or teachings from a professor to tell me what’s right or wrong. Convention takes a back seat especially in the practice of abstract and contemporary painting there really shouldn’t be any rules. Boundaries are limitless and its up to me to place them within the confines of my work. Perspective can be a point of view relative to the moment you’re in at the time. It can also be traditionally known as a way to draw solid objects on a 2 dimensional surface to give the right impression of height , width , depth and position in relation to each other when viewed from a particular point. For me its more like unconventional composition that comes together to form a pleasant point of view. I often will paint large bold swaths of colors and then compliment them with an organic vine or leaf pattern in a singular or layered color. I want to lend to the organic matter in a space where it may not seem it should be. I like the mix of what feels natural and also unnatural at the same time. The process usually lends to emotions in the work that translates to the viewer. To evoke emotion in a painting is really a mix of a little talent and a lot of magic coming together to form a feeling.

 ( “ The Abyss “ Oil On Canvas 24x48 2022 )

( “ Ease Of Complexity “ Oil On canvas 36x60 2023 )

( “Vibrant Revival “ Oil on Panel 48x36 2023 )

Many viewers find their own interpretations of abstract art to be deeply personal. How do you feel about the varied interpretations of your work? Do you intend to convey specific messages through your art, or do you prefer to leave it open to the audience’s perception?

I have on occasion had a piece or 2 that I painted with great intention that derived from a feeling a color brought out. I once worked on a small painting that was intended to be very unintentional and somehow took on a form of its own within a few hours. It was deep with reds and orange colors and small hits of ultramarine and didn’t take long to complete and find the feeling of being a done piece. Someone told me it looked like what hell could be and so I named it the Devils Details again not my comfort palette but I let it take me on the ride. I think you have to be an abstract person in life to really feel and see interpretations in this type of work. There are those who deem it to be childish or with out thought, on the contrary I think it takes the most thought to bring something that some see as nothing into the foreground of emotion. 

I also feel like abstract work and contemporary work can be very weak in its attempts to arouse emotions in people. The old adage “ Oh I can do that” is something that sends me in a fit because I may spend 100 hours on a piece of art that takes me 3 months to complete. In that time my emotional investment in one singular piece may be more exhausted than most can fathom. In the end my hope is to always leave it to the audience to find their meaning in my work. That’s not to say if I’m working towards a show with a prominent theme I wont totally build the work to suit the message that’s entirely different. So many avenues to take here but there’s a few. 

I want to always make sure what I am presenting is something that makes me happy when I look at it. If I’m happy then that’s really the only thing that matters as a reflection of me ultimately.

( “ Devil’s Details “ Oil On Canvas 18x24 2020 )

With your current representation by Above Snakes Gallery in Creede, Colorado, what are your aspirations for the future? Are there new themes, techniques, or projects you are eager to explore in you?

I would love to expand to a much larger audience in terms of representation with a great gallery or 2 well versed in Contemporary work with an audience for it specifically in such work. I feel like I’m ready to show the world what I’ve been doing for the last 25+ years. I’ve been waiting for the right partnership in a major market to show my work and grow with me on this continued path. I have enjoyed personal success with painting and everyone seems to like what I do so that’s bout a validating as can be. I am as excited and feverish about painting as I’ve ever been and I feel like I’m really now settling into exactly what my work has become. I am still exploring the techniques I have and learning new stuff every time I paint. The cool thing about art is there really is no end to where you can go! 

Instagram: @art_by_turtle