Jasper Marquez Santos was born on August 28, 1979 in Angeles City, Philippines. With no formal art education except for drawing classes at a silk screening facility at the age of 7 and a few life drawing classes in local community colleges, Jasper is truly a “natural.” Having arrived in the US in the March of 1989, he was instantly drawn to graffiti found throughout Los Angeles. Names like “OILER,” “TOOMER” and “CHAKA” spray painted in black with white outlines are embedded in his memory while driving down the 110S to his grandparents’ house. It is in graffiti that Jasper found his origin in art.
Using the city of Los Angeles as his main influence, Jasper’s curiosity in graffiti led him to start his own in 1996. He was enamored at the notion that a blank wall can be turned into a piece of art. His influences in the graffiti world include Mear One, Marka27 and Craola, not to mention artists in the first Graffiti Verite film.
It was a few years later in 2000 that he soon realized no matter how many times he painted on walls it was eventually “erased” or painted over. It was at this point that Jasper’s passion for creating art on walls expanded into working with traditional mediums like canvas and acrylics. Applying the same conceptual methods as he had once used when approaching graffiti art, Jasper continues to create paintings on canvas that are just as interesting and unique in their own right.
It is best to read Jasper’s own words to fully comprehend his vision and method of approaching a new painting, whether on a wall or on canvas: “My paintings are a time stamp of what I was going through at that specific moment… feelings that were translated into a physical form. I paint for a temporary source of relaxation and relief. My paintings pick on events that an average Joe goes through such as obesity, alcohol, love, and politics. I have a strong belief that artwork should give some kind of feedback of feelings. Whether my audience hates it or loves it, you still get a reaction.”
Jasper’s art has turned many heads in a variety of venues such as clubs, festivals, galleries and bars in and around Los Angeles whether his work is displayed or if he is doing a live painting. His art is embraced by audiences of all ages and many have yet to see his artistic talent that will continue to thrive. |
