Today we’d like to introduce you to Jay Howley
Hi Jay, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Im originally from rural Pennsylvania, and grew up always drawing and making comics. In first grade I’d take snow days to Xerox comic books at the library where my mom worked and I would sell them on the playground on a pay what you want model. Very forward thinking for a first grader. Id be reimbursed in sticks, rocks, and Pokemon cards. Throughout elementary and middle school, I didn’t have access to art classes and was largely self taught, drawing all the time in the corners of tests and on the inside of my desk. I eventually went into high school, and found some truly brilliant mentors in Sydney Caretti and Kristen Pixler. They really saw my passion for making things and really pushed me to think of my art as a real pathway forward. I worked with them on building a portfolio and applied to some art schools after the pandemic. I eventually landed on MICA here in Baltimore for a few reasons, it being closer to home and the fact that all the professors at MICA are artists working concurrently with their teaching practice. In my time here, I’ve really been able to connect with some fantastic mentorship and wound up a printmaker. I always want to make tactile things, whether that be in my drawings, paintings, prints or comics. Print offered me a great outlet for that and the department is on the smaller side with a very tight knit and passionate community of makers.
I started making posters for shows in September of 2023, when my fellow artist Evelyn Cox sent me an internship opportunity doing fliers for the Ottobar. I sent in a portfolio, not expecting to hear back, and eventually met with Todd Lesser from Monozine. He took a chance on me, and started letting me design fliers. I eventually was fortunate enough to also connect with Dana Murphy of Unregistered Nurse Booking, and we have been frequent collaborators since.
I’ve learned a lot through these collaborations, and have really been able to take the poster work as an opportunity for play. Im able to experiment with styles and techniques that I don’t think would fit into my “personal style” and the risk doesn’t feel as great, because the flier will only be up for a little while. Ive been able to really sharpen my hand and ways of thinking in regards to art, and have come to embrace a lot of the aspects of my drawing style I previously considered flaws. My works are all drawn or assembled in some part by hand, and analog processes are so important to my ethos of working.
This past fall, I was fortunate enough to be approached by the team at the National Aquarium to make some posters for their Voyages series, where a Baltimore artist spends time learning with an environmentalist and works to transform the aquariums space in response to their research. I was brought in for Chapter 6, where Dan Deacon was brought in to be the artist in question. They really let me go wild, and I ended up making some work I was pretty sure they would reject, but they were really open and let me run with the work. Being involved with these larger collaborative projects have been fantastic experiences, and Im really looking forward to the projects to come.
Everything in the built world deserves time and attention, and will undoubtedly be better for it. You can tell when time and effort is put into a sign, a logo, or a flier. Most people don’t go to museums or seek out fine art of their own volition, so to be able to make work that inhabits the built environment is so exciting for me. I grew up reading comics, looking at billboards, watching cartoons and looking at t shirts. This is the kind of art that inhabits our spaces and can spark thought, joy or inspiration. Its a democratic space to share art, and use your voice to platform other events or gatherings that celebrate creativity and art making in all its forms. I really hope if anything, that my work can inspire those kids who are drawing on their tests and xeroxing comic books to keep doing this thing we find so exiting and nourishing, and to really understand that there is so much merit to making.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Ive found a lot of challenges can arise when making work. Ambitious projects are often met with restrictions or limitations, whether that be in practical or logistical sides, or in gaps in knowledge of a certain process. Ive found that a lot of limitations on my work can be thought of as a “liberating constraint”, where once you know what is off limits or not feasible, it can free you up to operate within those constraints. Staring at a blank page is always a daunting thing, but can become easier to approach when you give yourself a set tool or timeframe.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My work touches on different disciplines in graphic design, illustration, writing, printmaking, and cartooning.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jayhowley.cargo.site
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehowley/
