John Boylin

John Boylan (artjeb) creates mixed media works that are often wildly bright and colorful paintings filled with multiple layers of joyous texture and design. His color choices and subjects are of common objects like road signs, safety cones, fire hydrants and graffiti. He may have up to 50 in progress at any given time. His creativity isn’t tied to any one specific art form or expression. He’s just as happy painting as he is editing photos, entertaining, Snapchatting or building a mini-skyscraper out of raisins. Common materials used in the work is acrylic and enamel paint, epoxy resin, photographs, laser print transfers and random scraps of miscellaneous texture. These days, you can count glitter as a vital element in his art-making process.

A lot of John’s current content has personal meaning to him, but sometimes it’s just as simple as making him laugh or smile. His work can be inspired from local architecture, abandoned buildings or everything else that most overlook in daily life like concrete cracks, dirty walls, stray marks. He enjoys taking these simple everyday experiences, combining them with experiences from his childhood. Vintage concepts and elements from his personal history are often also explored and help people connect to his work, reminisce, and form a closer connection with him.

Overall, there is no denying his love for pop culture, due to being raised by MTV and the need to be “WOW” in the “NOW.” As a child, John’s latchkey lifestyle was a key contributor in helping shape his creative thinking and acquire the skills needed to entertain himself. During his later school years, he was highly influenced by the skateboard and hip-hop culture. He studied art at Columbia College in Chicago, with a concentration in oil painting, printmaking and experimental photography, all of which are evident in his work eclectic today. John lives and works in Peoria, Illinois.