Pencil Artist of the Week: Jason Rafferty

This week’s featured artist is painter, draftsman and pencil artist Jason Rafferty, a full-time artist living and creating in Asheville, North Carolina. Ever since he can remember, Jason has always sought a creative outlet. This outlet took the form of poetry, music, and the visual arts at various stages in his life but, eventually, the visual arts won out and became his primary focus.

After attending the Fine Arts League of the Carolinas and studying at Studio Escalier in France, Jason became the primary apprentice of John Mac Kah at his Longbranch Studio in Ashville. Then, on Thanksgiving of 2013, Jason quit his part time job and embarked on his career as a full-time artist.

Jason’s passion for his work is immediately apparent upon visiting his website. He only uses the highest quality pencils, paints, brushes and materials, and the results show through in his work.

“In the spirit of good craftsmanship, what goes into a painting and how it is constructed should be just as important as the painting itself.”

Jason was kind enough to give us a glimpse into his creative process, detailing a time when inspiration struck in an unlikely place:

“I try to be constantly open and alert to the world around me, as lately my art subjects have found me at the most surprising times. To illustrate, recently a friend and I were eating a buffet at a local Indian restaurant when I saw this old, bearded man sitting by a big window, his head glowing with this golden sunlight. I couldn’t maintain a conversation with my friend because I kept looking back at the old man. He looked like a Rembrandt painting! Finally I worked up my courage, went over, tried to explain my fascination and asked if he would be willing to sit for a portrait at my studio. He was very accepting, an artist himself, and the quick drawing I made of him is one of my best, I think.

I have found that art has enriched my experience of the world a thousandfold. Recognizing and appreciating the beautiful in ordinary sights is just one facet of that.”