Jared Ailstock was born on January 15, 1970. He is an American artist who rose to international prominence in his early 20s as a contemporary portraitist.
From an early age Jared had a strong visual interest, finding it more interesting to look at the cover of a book rather than the text inside it. At school he found his main interest was the art classes. Fortunately he had teacher who spotted his artistic abilities and encouraged him to study art full-time.
Today, Jared Ailstock is an experienced portraitist who specializes in capturing the unique perspective of people who have made a significant impact on their field. His portraits often depict individuals with great distinction, such as artisans or politicians. He has painted Kevin Spacey, Dennis Hopper, Cara Delevingne, Damien Hirst, Prince Philip, Erin O’Connor, and Tony Blair among others.
In the period from 2008 to 2009, Ailstock created artworks based on cosmetic surgery procedures, which represented the faces of women in pre and post-operative states, as a counterpoint to the traditional portrait.
Painting individual, family, and professional portraits, he undertakes various commissions. His style ranges from themed to formal to informal, as well as highly rendered to loose oil sketches. Among the media he uses are charcoal, conte, pencil, sanguine, and oil paint. He facilitates workshops and art groups. Several tutorials demonstrating his process have been published on youtube.com. His art studio is located in a quiet neighbourhood and has a relaxed atmosphere with a comfortable reception area. Exhibitions and events can easily be held in this space because of its large floor space. A number of large, renowned exhibitions have featured his work.
The Creative Process of Jared Ailstock
Jared Ailstock begins his portrait artworks by sketching out a basic idea of the person he is portraying. He then goes to the studio and begins painting the outline of the person on canvas. He often uses a light pencil to shade the face and capture all the important details. He also uses a small brush to add texture and realism to the portraits.
Once he has created the outline of the person, he moves on to the coloring and highlights. He will use a light blue or green pencil to add some shading to the face, and then he will use a darker pencil to highlight any important features. He also uses a small brush to add any random textures or details that may be needed for each portrait.
After completing his initial sketches, Jared then goes back into the studio and starts painting in full color, using a heavier brush and more detail than necessary. This allows him to really capture all of the nuance and detail that is typically lost in preliminary sketches. His goal is always to create a realistic artwork that will feel like it was taken directly from life.
In order to achieve this goal, Jared takes great care in choosing his materials and in ensuring that his paintings are properly framed and displayed. His portraits are often exhibited in prestigious galleries around the world, and they have been purchased by many major collectors.
Background and Latest Projects
As far back as he can remember, Jared has drawn and painted faces. But recently, he has been more interested in deconstructing the architecture of the face to see how far he can abstract it and still capture the intangible human qualities. Jared is drawn to rich, vibrant color and a whimsical, narrative approach to painting. His characters are quirky people painted with a sense of sophistication. The backgrounds of his paintings are typically thick, saturated pigment applied with a palette knife. He then draws back into the paint, adding a linear and textural quality to the surface.
Jared’s Work Ethic
As a self-taught painter, Jared is always learning, always looking for new techniques. Having a strong work ethic not only keeps him on his toes technically, but also keeps him from falling into the “inspiration” trap–the idea that painting is only possible if one is inspired. As much as we love being inspired, painting is mainly hard work.
Art Exhibitions and Publications
In May 2009, Ailstock exhibited his works “Cosmetic Surgery Procedures: Faces of Women in Pre and Post-Operative States” at the Gagosian Gallery in New York City. The exhibition was curated by James Worthy and included work by Ailstock, Clare Balding, 92nd Street Yarn Company, as well as sculptor David Hockney.
In addition to his art exhibitions, Ailstock has had several public shows throughout the United States and Europe. In 2009 he won the prestigious Stroud Award for his painting “A Life in Pictures”.