Artists Share A Similar Style
Jackson Kargol (left) and Jane Ryder (right) enjoyed sharing their work with the Oskaloosa community, while also sharing the importance of apprenticeships.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Inside the Oskaloosa Art Center, the walls were filled with the work from a couple of local artists. What has made it special this time is the apprenticeship opportunity it created.
Jane Ryder and Jackson Kargol are artists that share a similar style, but Jane’s work is more organic while Jackson’s work is more mechanical.
Ryder says her drawing style has been developed since she was young and used her creativity as a way to escape. “So when I escaped into my drawings, I could just be me. There was nothing out there that bugged me. Being a little kid, it was my safe space. In that safe space, I could be as meticulous or as goofy as I wanted to be.”
Expressing herself emotionally as a young person was a challenge for Ryder, “so I’d express myself through my drawings. My mother always said that if she looked at a drawing, she could tell what mood I was in.”
Ryder says that holds true today. “If you look at my drawings around the art center, they’re moody if you look at them close enough.”
“It’s been a process my whole life,” adds Ryder of her development as an artist. “I think it’s just a path to peace. When I draw, I feel very tranquil and very good, and I can draw all the things I can’t say out loud all the time.”
“The paintings are an extension of the drawings,” said Ryder. “The paintings are kind of psychoscapes.”
“I never knew why I made art for a long time, I just knew that I did it,” Ryder adds. “What my art is about is, this is how I feel. Can you see it in the colors? It’s very me.”
Ryder’s work is well known outside of the Oskaloosa area, so having the opportunity to show it locally has been a good experience for Ryder, who is happy to see the local art community growing.
“My work is about the freedom of expression, and this place [Oskaloosa Art Center] is allowing people to express themselves with music, with spoken word, with classes, with just encouraging people to be their true self, through creation,” said Ryder.
Ryder has an apprentice, of sorts, showing his work at the art center during the same show. Jackson Kargol and his meticulous drawing style fit well with Ryder’s.
“Pairing up with an artist on a similar path, and showing your work together is a wonderful thing for young people,” adds Ryder. “You don’t have to go into being an artist willy-nilly, you can have a skill set.”
Ryder believes that art apprenticeships help young and upcoming artists, not unlike a cabinet maker apprentice. “Being more conscious of the creative types, and training them to take their creativity and funnel it into something that can make them money too.”
The concept of apprenticeships isn’t a new one. Leonardo de Vinci, possibly the most famous artist that has ever lived, started as an apprentice painter.
“There’s not enough right now,” says Ryder. “We need more apprenticeships.”
Kargol is the type of artist that loses himself in his work. He spends hours at a time drawing out meticulous drawings. It’s something he describes as fun and is a form of meditation.
This is Kargol’s first professional show, “It’s cool because I’ve grown up around here [Oskaloosa Art Center], and I’ve seen a lot of amazing art go through this gallery.”
Kargol and his family have also visited many other art shows outside of Oskaloosa, and he’s learned from that experience.
“It’s been great,” says Kargol on showing his work alongside Ryder’s. “Getting my name out there. People seeing what I can do.”
During the time he’s spent working with Ryder, Kargol explains that he’s learned a lot from that experience.
Their work had been on display for about a month inside the Oskaloosa Art Center, and a new show will soon be on display.
You can find out more about upcoming events at the Oskaloosa Art Center by visiting them on their Facebook Page – HERE.
