How can an artist charm major clients in the industry with a big smile, an open heart, and a palette full of electric colors? Meet Jason Naylor! His portfolio has such giant names as MAC, Guess, Coach, Pepsi, Sephora, and so on, as well as prestigious awards – and our favorite is «One of the 100 Most Inspiring New Yorkers by BUMBLE». Jason’s murals made the city more vibrant, his NFT’s are highly technical, yet emotional and educational. His bright colorful work spreads messages of love and positivity, as Jason believes that these two senses are the key to success – and we do too. Get to know Jason closer in our interview
Thank you! Yes color! I love it. Color has been a big part of my work for many years but it actually hasn’t always been. Earlier in my career I really loved black and white and my work was much darker actually, as I think in my personal life I’ve gone through ebbs and flows of happier times and not as happy times. Such is life! But I think it’s interesting to note that over the past 6-7 years, as I’ve really found myself, I have grown more and more interested in using more color.
To me color reinforces the themes in my work – love, kindness, positivity, inclusivity etc. I often think that if I create a piece that has every color in it, then every person in the world will be able to relate to it. But more than that, I believe that color and joy really go hand in hand. Bright colors tend to grab people attention, and have the power to shift their mood, spark joy and uplift their spirits, even if only for a moment. I love creating that in my work.
Well the longest project I ever completed was my book, Live Life Colorfully. (Speaking of color!) That whole process took over 2 years! And the shortest pieces take an hour or maybe even less. I guess it depends on what we consider an art piece… but something that feels vibrant and finished would take at least an hour.
Yes, I’m so excited about the advent of NFTs, it’s been such a wild ride already and it’s so new! I discovered NFTs in late 2020 and I had been investing in crypto and educating myself about it, so it all made sense. I also love digital art and use digital tools in my process so the idea of minting and selling my digital creations was a perfect fit. In the past year the NFT space has grown so much and what I love most about it is the blossoming community – and it is such a positive community! The ecosystem of artists and collectors and the utility that can be added the art… projects that are generative and use algorithms to make art… its so exciting. I love the merge of technology and art.
Yes! I have lots of murals in NY, some are permanent and others only remain up for a month or two. But I have murals all over the country as well, including cities like LA, Miami, Austin, Chicago and I also have one in Italy – and hope to paint overseas more this year! The most special is my Live Life Colorfully mural, which was in Chelsea but sadly no longer exists. It was the catalyst for my book and also the first mural that I did using only spray paint! It will always be very special to me…
Well the best building would be a smooth cement surface with no windows and maybe 3 stories tall, located right on the corner of a busy intersection in a popular neighborhood like Soho. But the end-all-be-all location in NYC is the Bowery Wall, which is curated by Goldman arts and is painted by the world’s best street artists. I’ll get there someday, fingers crossed 🙂
Thank you! YES HUEMOTIONS is a collection of 100 NFTs that mix colors and feelings together to create original pieces of art. Each one is unique and uses the colors that symbolize the feelings as their base. So if blue = sad and red = passionate, then SAD / PASSIONATE is a HUEMOTION, and I use blue and red to make the design. They designs are very fluid and have a swirling organic vibe to them, much like how emotions flow through us fluidly, and we can experience several emotions at once! Some HUEMOTIONS contain two feelings, and some three. And they all have a signature OPN HEART which symbolizes the feelings being contained in the heart. So as you peruse the collection, it’s interesting to read the titles (the feelings) and see which ones describe you… and then you can see the visual depiction of yourself!
Art has so much purpose and the beauty of it is that it’s personal and individual, and there is no right or wrong answer to this question, which I love. For me, the purpose of art is to stimulate the mind and lift the soul. Art has the power to move people emotionally, inspire them to be better human beings, and stimulate the senses which results in feelings of joy and happiness. I try to do this with all the art that I make, and the greatest reward I can ever receive for my work is knowing that it has done exactly that for someone!
