Jonathan Wagner recieved his BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University, School of the Arts in the area of Painting and Printmaking.

For the past several years Jonathan has launched JP Wagner Fine Art studios located in Northern NJ.

he independently organized and promoted many solo shows and a series of group showings of his

paintings in association with artists of a variety of mediums in Virginia, New Jersey, and New York City. Most recently are a series of exhibitions in Times Square correlation with the start of Tminusone.org, a non-profit organization that Jonathan cofounded used to promote emerging artist, musicians, and a variety of other talent to various galleries and nightclubs through-out NYC and NJ.

jonathanpaulwagner.com

Jonathan focuses his artistic talents on the study of faces, where he finds that people are able to see reflections of themselves in the expressions

shown in his art. He searches out the alternate venues such as non-profit organizations, night

clubs, coffee houses, and musical performances to bring his art to a vast array of different audiences

Artist Statement:

“Napoleon wanted to build a balcony seat in the stage wall of a theater so that he could see the faces of the audience during the perxances. Facial expressions most naturally and instinctively

express emotion, from the open book of a child’s face to the guarded expressions age teaches us to hide behind. It is in faces that I have found my talents most challenged. 

I find that in creating art through faces, I challenge myself to grow not only as an artist, but also as a person. Sharing expressions as reflections of emotion is my way of sharing the best of all human endeavors,understanding that, through art, we see reflections of ourselves.”

I search for what the subject experiences as I paint their face. In discarding what I see, I look for how I feel out the emotions within the subject. Our common experience, human emotion, transcends race,

ethnicity, and social status. We have all been angry, ecstatic, hurt, and hopeful. The various shades

of emotion are what I concentrate on, looking for the common core of humanity in them all. 

As life is in a state of constant evolution and the lessons learned in youth are challenged by the experience and cynicism gained in latter years, I constantly push not Artist Statement: “Napoleon wanted to build a balcony seat in the stage wall of a theater so that he could see the faces of the audience during the perxances. Facial expressions most naturally and instinctively express emotion, from the open book of a child’s face to the guarded expressions age teaches us to hide behind. It is in faces that I have found my talents most challenged. I search for what the subject experiences as I paint their face. In discarding what I see, I look for how I feel about the emotions within the subject. Our common experience, human emotion, transcends race, ethnicity, and social status. We have all been angry, ecstatic, hurt, and hopeful. The various shades of emotion are what I concentrate on, looking for the common core of humanity in them all. As life is in a state of constant evolution and the lessons learned in youth are challenged by the experience and cynicism gained in latter years, I constantly push not only my craft, but my approaches to art. I’ve searched out a variety of different artists to learn from, so that I may deconstruct my own style.

Art, like life, must not be seen as static, but instead must be allowed change. We must challenge the

truths we have learned in order to see if they are actually true or merely learned habits that restrict us from our full potential. When I reach a level where I am comfortable, I have failed. I have gone outside of painting to find influences in a variety of subjects. Philosophy, math, and science have inxed my work. I have worked with musicians, dancers, and actors to create ensemble pieces that mix all of the xs into a seamless whole.