Being able to make a living doing art is truly the essence of living the dream. Just about any developing artist would give the world to quit their day job and follow the passion of art, and many do. When that day job can be design and expression for the sake of design and expression, void of corporate input is even another level of freedom. As a graphic designer myself I can say that even if I am dressing up a garment, print advertisement or DVD cover for pay, I am proud to feel that everything but the benefactors logo or type is my creation. But Thielke has managed to take his skill to the next level and let his name and his creations stand for themselves.
Jason Thielke observes, documents, and designs urban landscapes and their inhabitants, providing commentary on modern life. Thielke has always been inspired by his surroundings, at times overwhelmed by them. Jason’s strong emotional connection to the built environment and its’ inevitable rise and fall provide the foundation for his growing body of work.
Thielke’s work is linear, layered, dynamic and multi-media in nature. It encompasses both contemporary and traditional techniques much like the architectural design of today. His process of drawing, composing, and eventually transferring images to wood is parallel to the planning, deconstruction and reconstruction phases of urban gentrification.
He works with gel transfers and much of his pieces begin in Illustrator and Photoshop. The gel transfer process is crude and finnicky that is mastered by hours of practice. The imperfections with the gel transfer process when it is applied on the large scale with the detailed intricacy of Thielke's work adds a unique grunge element to some of his final pieces.
More of Thielke's work can be found at his website and a limited series of garments can be found at ABSTRACTmall.com
