TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
Installation view, Somewhere Between Now and Then , Barry Whistler Gallery, Dallas, Texas
At just eight years old, Jay Shinn won his first blue ribbon at the Magnolia Sidewalk Art Show in 1966 for his tempera painting, The Beatle .
Jay Shinn, age 15, with a shaped canvas painting created while auditing an art class at SAU in 1973.
2024, Jay Shinn has studios in Dallas, New York City, and Berlin.
Shinn is recognized for his distinctive use of light and geometric forms. His installations often blend painting, sculpture, and architecture, creating optical illusions that transform two- dimensional spaces into dynamic, three-dimensional experiences. By layering neon, projection, and reflective materials with precise geometric patterns, his work invites viewers to question depth, movement, and perception itself.
that run through his work trace all the way back to his early training as a realistic painter at Marjorie’s House of Artists. Among his peers, Shinn’s southern drawl is unmistakable, but his art translates globally. “Where I came from has a lot of influence on my art, but through my varied formal education, my art has to be universal. When my pieces leave my studio for galleries and installations, they have to be able to stand on their own without me.”
Shinn describes the evolution of his art as unfolding in phases. “While working with the same aesthetic concerns, I am always working through phases. The phases begin more minimally and emerge more complex.” His work remains rooted in geometric forms and typically begins with preparatory drawings. “I do a lot of drawings that eventually turn into canvases, neon work, and light-based projections. I can be a little restless as an artist, but I enjoy following the direction of where the art wants to go. It’s a dialogue that leads from one thing to the other.” The optical illusion layers
Thirty-five years in, with studios in Dallas, New York City, and Berlin, Shinn feels like he’s just getting started. Guided by the belief that “if you’re not working, you’re not growing,” he looks to the next 30 years with energy and focus. “Stay with it. Don’t give up. When you find something you love like this, it becomes a passion—something you simply have to do. It is not about monetary gain, but about a sense of honest, creative satisfaction and staying true to what matters to you. That is the collective experience.”
Visit Jay Shinn’s website by scanning here.
20
COMMUNITY & CULTURE
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs