Jason Phillips

UserName: JasonPhillips City: Santa Fe State: NM Followers: (0)

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john jason phillips first saw the light of day in an Indian hospital in Kingman, Arizona, the son of parents working their way across the United States to California where their son was to be born -- they didn't make it -- nor were they to continue their journey. john jason's mother died, leaving him in the impossible care of his 65-year old father. Enter his maternal grandmother who, after a 7-day journey by train from the East, arrived to take john jason to his new home in West Virginia. After such a dramatic beginning, the next 15 years of bucolic harmony in Appalachia were no match for john jason's inherited wanderlust and his burgeoning artistic talent. Leaving his town of 342 people, he first studied at West Virginia University where he graduated with honors and a degree in theatrical design. Finally fulfilling his parents dream of California, he soon after arrived at Stanford University (in Palo Alto, CA) for work towards an MFA in the same field. Realizing that he was being trained to be a teacher, not a practicing artis,t he fled to San Francisco where he was soon hired as a scenic painter for the Opera. Here he was privileged to work with the 93-year old former head painter at the Bolshoi Ballet; needless to say, the experience was transformative. Craving a more personal outlet for his art, john jason's quest took another detour, moving him to Honolulu to pursue his interest in painting in this beautiful setting. However, one can only paint Diamond Head so many times and a few months later he arrived in New York seeking union certification for his theatrical career. After passing the rigorous exam for entry into the union he was soon working in the paint shops of the City, painting any number of exotic locales for Broadway and the Metropolitan Opera, among many. But it still wasn't his work. Over the next few years his talents and union certification permitted him to design, not paint, scenery for numerous theatres. or so he thought. Once it was discovered what a brilliant scenic painter he was, his contracts began to read scenic designer and scenic painter. One such contract took him back to the West Coast and after three years as the resident designer of Seattle Repertory Theatre he fled from design and began painting full time in Big Sur, CA. It was a lonely existence in his cabin, and that drove him to San Francisco where he met the love of his life to whom he is still married. In San Francisco, he became the mural king of the city, with murals in three major locations. The murals at the GRUBSTAKE restaurant are still intact after 41 years and will be preserved as a new building is constructed with the restaurant being part of the tower's lobby. There was another significant event yet to happen. Las Vegas, Reno/Tahoe and Atlantic City "called". It was back to Seattle where, as principal designer for one of the busiest producers of the casino circuit, he spent the next 20 years designing and painting the exuberant and dazzling scenery casino shows are known forand creating designs for over 300 productions. All this time he maintained his efforts as a fine artist with solo shows of canvases and watercolors at Seattle Center and other local venues. This period also saw john jason's work in London's West End and the Royal Opera House in Bangkok. These efforts have been memorialized in a new book entitled: A Life in Revue by Greg Thompson. At the current time life finds john jason as a resident of the city of his dreams – Santa Fe – where with no theatrical design in sight he pursues his career as a fine art painter without the distractions – finally!