Art Information

Artist Statement

           I am a Cleveland area artist. I was born in Denmark but have lived in the United States for most of my life. I am a graduate of Antioch college. I am also an Army veteran who served in S. Korea and in the 82^nd Airborne Division.

           My goal as an artist is to educate people about the aesthetic possibilities of recycled materials. To achieve this I incorporate into my art, everyday household objects, found objects, and waste materials. Though the materials I use are constantly changing, here is a sample of some of the materials I have used in the past: Found paper objects, paper cup bottoms, scraps of cardboard, shoelaces, bits of string, toilet paper rolls, and a host of other found and recycled materials. These materials are altered with paint, dyes, oils, and a host of other products and then combined into intricate and ornate pieces which resemble organic structures.

It is not my intent to create works of art which are exact representations of organic structures, instead my goal is to form unconventional materials into simple shapes, such as a cone, a tube, or a sphere, and then use those simple shapes in repeated patterns to form complex structures. In altering everyday waste materials and using them to create organic looking structures, I hope to not only introduce people to a new aesthetic possibility, but I also hope to highlight some of the fundamental processes involved in nature. Such as: What is the role of repetition in establishing order and beauty in an organic structure? What types of structures can be made using waste materials and what are the aesthetic and physical limitations of those materials? And finally – How much of a role does nature itself play versus the artist, in the final composition of any given art piece?

          My artwork therefore, not only grapples with aesthetic principles, but also explores some of the fundamental principles of nature itself. 

List of Art Shows

--Pittsburgh vs.Cleveland show at the Zaller building. Collinwood Ohio. June 2012.

 --Spring Show at the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Curated by the Ohio Art League. Columbus Ohio. June 2012.

--May Show at Lakeland Community College. Kirtland Oh. 18 May – 20 July 2012.
--Controversy art show at Zaller gallery. Collinwood Oh. Dec. 2011. 

--Mimesis: Sculptural works by Jonah Jacobs and Rebecca Cross. Survival Kit gallery. Cleveland oh. Sept – Nov. 2011.

--Lonesome No More presents: 16 Interpretations of Ken Nordine’s Colors. Pink Eye gallery. Cleveland Oh. April -March. 2011.

--Transformations art show at Pop Up Art Gallery. Collinwood Oh. Feb. 2011.

--Lonesome No More art show at Oakland Art Center. Youngstown Oh. Feb. 11^th-18^th 2011.

--Un-natural Selections (solo show) at Studio 2091. Cuyahoga Falls Oh. January 7- 28^th. 2011.

 Lonesome No More art show at Wall Eye gallery. Cleveland Oh. Oct. 2010.

 --Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition at the Cox Center for Arts. Columbus Oh. August 2010.

(Won an Ohio Arts Council award for artistic excellence in fiber arts.)
--Artmart at Spaces gallery. Cleveland Oh. April 2010.

 –Fragmentation: Seed, Spore, and Polyp at William Rupnik gallery. Cleveland oh. 44103 22 Jan. - 14 Feb. 2010 (First major solo show.)

 –Select pieces on view at Lava Lounge. Tremont Onio. Nov. 2009.

 –Erie Prom art auction at Spaces gallery. Cleveland Ohio. Nov. 2009.

 –DiscARTed (recycled art exhibition) at the West Woods Nature Center. Russell Ohio. Nov. 2009- Jan. 210.

 –$50 Dollar Hollar at the Pop Shop gallery. Lakewood Ohio. June 2009.

  –4^th Anniversary Show at the Pop Shop gallery. Lakewood Ohio. May 2009.

 Artmart at Spaces gallery. Cleveland Ohio. April. 2009.

 –“Green” art show at the Brecksville center for the arts. Brecksville Ohio. April-May. 2009.

 –Untitled solo show at The Enclave. Willoughby Ohio. Nov.-Dec. 2008.
--Sensory Feast at 2^nd April gallery. Canton Ohio. Sept. 2008

 –Blasphemy show at Doubting Thomas gallery. Tremont Ohio. Aug.-Sept. 2008.

 –The Bad Apple show at the Pop Shop gallery. Lakewood Ohio. June-July 2008.

 –Your Work 08 at Utrecht Art Supply. Cleveland Heights Ohio. June-July 2008. Won the Community Award at this event.

 -The Rule of Three show at Pop Shop gallery. Lakewood Ohio. May-June 2008.

 –Lake County Creative Artists Association show at Lakeland Community College Fine Arts gallery. Kirtland Ohio. May-June 2008. Won 2^nd place award in Mixed Media.

 –Apollonova AAA show at Pop Shop gallery. Lakewood Ohio. April-May 2008.

 --ArtMart at Spaces Gallery. Cleveland Ohio. March 2008.

 –P.S. I Love You show at Pop Shop gallery. Lakewood Ohio. Feb-March 2008.

 –Apollonova A2 show at Asterisk gallery. Cleveland Ohio. Jan. 2008.

 –Raw Umber Presents: Layered Journeys at the Malone Building, Akron Ohio. Dec. 2007.

 –Halloween show at Pop Shop gallery, Lakewood Ohio. Oct-Nov. 2007.

 –Bottle Rocket at Pop Shop gallery, Lakewood Ohio. June 30 th to July 29^th. 2007.

 –Your Work 07 at Utrecht. Cleveland Heights Ohio. June 2007

–Pop, Drop, and Roll at Pop Shop gallery, Lakewood Ohio. May 19^th to June 23^rd 2007.

 -Artmart at Spaces Gallery, Cleveland Ohio. March 2007

 -Art at the Center. A collaborative effort between the Polish-American center and Spaces Gallery, Cleveland Ohio. September 2006.

 --Artmart at Spaces Gallery, Cleveland Ohio. March 2006.

 --June Art Review (JAR) at the Galleria, Cleveland Ohio. June-August 2006.

 --Salon Des Refuses at the Galleria, Cleveland Ohio. (This show was part of Cleveland’s first annual Ingenuity Festival). Sept. 2005

Awards, Accomplishments, and Organizations

--In August 2010 I won an Ohio Arts Council award for fiber arts at the Cox Center for arts in Columbus Ohio.

--2^nd solo show at Studio 2091 in Cuyahoga Falls. The show was up from January 7^th to January 28^th. This show was the first time two of my most significant pieces were showed side by side. The pieces were Polyp #1 and Input/Output. Also on display was an installation piece that consisted of hundreds of pieces that formed a free flowing organic looking structure that spanned the length of the gallery. This piece also snaked its way across the ceiling.

–First major solo show at William Rupnik gallery in Cleveland. The show was up from January 22^nd - February 14, 2010. Almost two years in the making, this show featured several large scale installation pieces and several medium sized organic looking compositions. This show not only showcased my current abilities as an artist, but also hinted at the scope and complexity of future installation pieces.

--In Sept. 2011 had a dual show at Survival Kit gallery in Cleveland with Kent State professor Rebecca Cross.

–In the past few years I have participated in over forty shows including fund-raisers.

–Won the “Community Choice award at the 2008 Utrecht “Your Work” show.

–Won 2^nd place in Mixed Media at the Creative Artists Association at Lakeland Community College Fine Arts Gallery. 2008.

--For the Pop Up gallery “Transformations” show in Collinwood Ohio, my art and a brief interview of me was featured in the following video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORTKes2pwdw&feature=channel_video_title

– In cooperation with the Pop Shop gallery in Lakewood, I was featured in a video which showed me creating an art piece over a twelve hour span. This was later condensed into a two minute long video. The intent of this video is to educate viewers about the intricacies and the process of how I create my art. You can view it at:  http://vimeo.com/3756502

--Member of the Ohio Arts League from 2012 to current.

–Member of Roy G Biv cooperative art gallery in Columbus Ohi from 2012 to current.

--Member of the Northcoast collective travelling art group. June 2010 to 2011.

–Was a member of The Creative Artists Association from 2008-2009.

–Been a member/associate member of the Apollonova art group since 2007.

–Was a member of the Artisans Alliance from 2009 to 2011.

--Was a featured artist on the website: http://artismoving.blogspot.com/2010/04/i-am-artist-jonah-jacobs.html

--Northcoast Collective’s Youngstown show was featured in the local newspaper and on the following website: http://valley24.com/news/2011/jan/28/oakland-gallery-host-traveling-arts-exhibition/

--A picture of one of my art pieces along with a brief description of my artwork was featured in the Sun News. The article concerned the April “Green” art show at the Brecksville center for the arts. The article can be viewed online at: http://www.cleveland.com/sunnews/index.ssf/2009/04/brecksville_center_for_the_art_6.html

 

--A picture of my installation piece Input/Output was featured in an article in the Falls News Press. In this article there was also talk of my recent solo show “Un-natural Selections.

–I currently have artwork on display on over a half dozen websites.