1. A Collection of Works by New York Artist Jason Douglas Griffin
2. October 6 -14, 2006

Intensely personal, while at the same time unpretentious and accessible, the artwork of Jason Douglas Griffin borrows equally from classical artistic traditions, urban aesthetic, and pop culture. In Griffin’s work, the intersection of cultures and ideologies produce an innovative style that challenges the common perceptions of identity. The collection of works at The Woodbourne Collection includes abstract acrylics, contemporary collaborations, and small satirical pen and ink drawings.

Jason Douglas Griffin was classically trained as a painter, following the standard arc that began with the representational work required by his teachers, and continued towards the abstract style common in today’s art schools. In his search for a more personal style, Griffin returned to an unconventional aesthetic: graffiti and urban design. While growing up in the metro DC area, Griffin’s social circle reflected a diversity that was absent in his paintings. In fact, the original impetus for his interest in art came from working with graffiti and tattoo artists throughout his adolescence. It became clear that the urban lifestyle he led was becoming increasingly separated from the aesthetic of his artwork. Griffin’s breakthrough came when he collaborated with Jason Reynolds, a close friend and poet. Their book, SELF, explores a humanistic and brutally honest approach to art, and serves as a platform to display the beauty born from turbulence.

Griffin has had solo shows in Washington and New York, and most recently exhibited at Sunset meets St. Marks, a group show “of the finest upcoming artists from Los Angeles and New York” at the Capla Kestings Fine Art gallery in New York City. He is also in talks with Harper Collins on a second book, again featuring his art along with the poetry of Jason Reynolds.

Some of the works in the show are a collaboration with Steven Delout, of Agga, Holland. Delout and Griffin met in New York and created several paintings on abandoned doors they found in Griffin’s Brooklyn neighborhood. Griffin will travel to Holland later this year to once again collaborate with Delout.