Meet Jonathon Alexander | Fine artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jonathon Alexander and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Jonathon, what makes you happy? Why?
I think lately I’ve been thinking more about the mundanities. Of course, there are the big sources of happiness: my partner, my dogs, etc but I think the small sources of happiness often go overlooked. Wandering around a place and not worrying if I’ll get lost makes me happy; my sense of direction is terrible. Watching movies with friends and just enjoying the moment makes me happy. Listening to a new album I had no idea was coming out from an artist I like makes me happy. I’ve been trying to pay more attention to those little serotonin shots that happen during the day. They’re small and fleeting but they really do add up and I’m trying to be a bit more thankful for the little joys in life.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am going on 2 and a half years of oil painting now so I’m still growing into my own style quite a bit. A thing I’ve kind of slid into is that I straddle the line between impressionist and realist. I render out the subject and the stuff around it in great detail and then I get messier and more impressionistic as I get further away. I think it’s neat and I think I’m gonna keep trying to develop that.
I stayed home through the pandemic and used nearly all my free time to paint. I would get off work and then paint til I went to sleep. I took a Monthly.com class, which was pretty helpful! I didn’t know a lot of the minutiae and I still don’t, to be honest. But it’s helpful having someone to guide you step by step in something so at least you know what the process is supposed to be. I painted a lot of people early on, more recently I’ve branched into pop-art subject matter and landscapes. I wouldn’t say it was easy or hard, I just practiced obsessively and had already done art as a hobby for a long time prior. Sliding into taking it seriously was just a matter of the medium, I guess.
I was also recently accepted into a gallery in Los Angeles so I think things are going in a good direction!
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If you’re feeling more urban-y, downtown in general is a lot of fun. I really like wandering with nowhere to go in particular so downtown is a lot of fun for that. 16th street mall is a good place if you want a lot of options for food and shopping all at once. Larimer Square for if you want a good drink with a bit of ambience. I haven’t really been there much in the last several years aside from walking there in December during the lockdown but it’s a pretty good vibe from what I remember. The Green Russell is a neat one to check out if you want a specific recommendation. If you’re not interested in fancy drinks but are interested in pinball machines/arcade games, 1Up is where you’d probably want to go. Oh also you should check out The Tattered Cover. It’s a neat bookstore. There are a couple of different ones so just pick whichever feels right. I’d also say Confluence park is worth seeing. It shores up to a river and feels like a tiny beach in the middle of the city. There’s also a train tour next to the REI right next door so check that out if you like trains or tours!
If you’re feeling more nature, the Red Rocks amphitheater is an obvious one. When there’s no concert happening, you can hike the entire place. A lot of the little mountain towns are worth seeing if you just feel like getting out. Just go driving towards the mountains and I’m sure you’ll come across them. I don’t have any names and discovery is part of the fun, probably. I haven’t been here yet, but I hear that Estes Park is pretty nice to do a day trip to. They also have the Stanley Hotel from The Shining!
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would say pretty much everyone in my life who’s encouraged me to pursue art certainly deserves a shout out. I don’t think I would have even considered the possibility if not for them. Particularly my partner who has been all in and I can’t thank them enough.
John Singer Sargent and Norman Rockwell are big inspirations but they’re not exactly here anymore.
The painters Alpay Efe and Daria Callie are two current artists that inspired me to pick up oil painting in the first place. I will also shout out to Meiningers in Denver for art supply reasons.
Website: JonathonAlexander.com
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