As a child, Bakehouse artist Jason Aponte was raised in Homestead, Florida on an air force base. While he was raised in a family that served in the military for generations, he followed a different path and pursued his early interests in the visual arts. In 2002, he received a BFA in  Illustration from Ringling School of Art and Design, graduating with high honors. He moved to Boston, where he was an artist-in-residence at The Vernon Street Studios. In 2009, he returned to Miami and has been in residence at Bakehouse Art Complex since 2012. 

Can you tell us about your artistic practice? 

Context plays an important role in my work. The things we see and experience daily can feel normal or unusual based on the context.  Anything taken out of context changes the way we experience the same landscape, object, or living being.  I am deeply interested in exploring this idea to create a new narrative and strive for a new emotional understanding.  This has been greatly influenced by what I witnessed after Hurricane Andrew, from dreams, and hypnagogic hallucinations.  My work is created using traditional mediums on wood, paper and canvas surfaces.  

Tell us about a personal artistic project or body of work that you are currently excited about?

I have experienced vivid dreams, lucid dreams as well as hypnagogic hallucinations my whole life on a regular basis.  This has become the inspiration for my artistic practice in the last couple years.  Dreams have always played a powerful part of our human experience.  I am excited to take something that cannot be seen and turn it into a tangible object or image. I find that I am in a unique position to have the ability to portray these ethereal scenarios.  These dreams and hallucinations can be frightening, so creating these works has become cathartic.  

Tell us about how you have developed as an artist since you began working at Bakehouse

When I began as a resident artist at the Bakehouse, I remember clearly creating a traditional portrait in oil on canvas.  It was the only painting in my studio for weeks.  I remember looking at the portrait and finding that it didn’t feel like my truth.  I had other thoughts and ideas that I wanted to explore, but had trouble finding my voice.  With the help of the Bakehouse community, I was able to channel those thoughts into a cohesive vision.  The truth is that this is always an uphill battle.  I am finding new truths everyday.

What do you enjoy most about being a part of the Bakehouse community?

Being an artist can be an extremely isolating experience.  We are in the studio closed off to anyone while we work the majority of the time.  Having a studio amongst a large community of artists allows me to take a break from that isolation.  It is essential to have others you trust to look at your process and give you the positive critiques to help you grow.  We are always finding new connections within the art community in Miami and the rest of the country through our peers.