the artist

Jason Reed Brown

2636 Verona St.
Bellingham, WA 98225
jasonbrownbrowntwo@yahoo.com

My path corkscrews its' way through life
Up and down, around and around
My mind pushes me along this path
Studying everything along the way
My heart pulls me along this path
Reassuring me it's been here before
My hands explore this path
My work is my answer

Jason R. Brown (Koyukon Athabascan) was born in 1971 in Tacoma, Washington. He spent much of his childhood moving back and forth between his parents and relatives, which exposed him to the urban and rural landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. Living in the Alaskan wilderness produced memories of the land and his family, which helped to sustain him while living in the "black bile" of city life.
For Brown, reading, art and music were a means of escape from the violent environment of the city. After graduating from high school Brown continued to develop his drawing skills while working as a laborer. His love for drawing led him to work as a tattoo artist and muralist before he learned about the Institute of American Indian Arts.

At IAIA Brown discovered a passion for sculpture, especially metal sculpture. After completing his Associate of Fine Arts degree, Brown began working for blacksmith Tom Joyce. During his work with Mr. Joyce, Brown was introduced to the principles of blacksmithing and has since worked with several southwestern blacksmiths. With each blacksmith, Brown was able to acquire new technical skills as well as "imaginative potential." Brown also attended and graduated from Turley Forge School of Blacksmithing in Santa Fe.

Presently Brown is pursuing his first venture as an artist-blacksmith at the Hammerhand Forge on the Taos Pueblo Reservation in Taos, New Mexico. While he has been featured in several exhibitions at IAIA Museum, this is his first one-man show.

Education

Graduate, Turley Forge School of Blacksmithing, August 2001
Associate of Fine Arts, Institute of American Indian Arts, 1999
General Diploma, Bellingham High School, 1989
Life Experience

Work History

2001 - present: Hammerhand Forge, Bellingham, WA
Artist - Blacksmith
I am currently established in Bellingham, Washington, the site of the end of my formal high school education, and the beginning of my experience as an industrial laborer. This location combines the active interest I have in translating the beauty of Northwest Coastal Indian art into hand-forged ironwork with fulfilling a niche as a classically trained blacksmith in an area currently experiencing a period of economic and artistic growth. Working for myself allows me to produce a constantly evolving body of sculpture as well as a line of decorative, functional hardware. If the hardware I design is the speech from my hands, then sculpture is their song. Behind both applications has been a devoted study of the tool making craft. Simultaneously learning and working in the blacksmith's tradition has shaped my mind, tempered my hand, and sharpened my eye.

2001 - 2003: Harmony Forge, Santa Fe, NM
Shop Assistant
During the time I spent working for and learning from Mr. Ward Brinegar, I exercised every skill I possessed and rapidly added new ones. These skills include hammer texturing, power hammer operation and maintenance, lathe operation, gas forge construction, and shop layout. I also began forging and tempering my own tools, such as tongs, punches, and chisels. I was allowed to work on my own projects outside of the shop's business hours and this privilege, along with access that I was allowed accesss to Mr. Brinegar's tools, was critical in helping me to begin developing a more personal style of ironwork. Working for Mr. Brinegar enhanced all of my previous experiences by utilizing every skill I possessed on a daily basis, not only embedding that knowledge in my head but also in my hands through constant practice.

2001: Spirit Forge, Taos, NM
Shop Assistant
I spent a brief but productive period assisting Ms. Rachel Miller as she created her own line of custon interier ironwork such as mirror frames, end tables, and candleholders. During this period I could have been closely equated with a journeyman. I was entrusted to independently forge various parts of her designs, usually plant-based forms with sinous, flowing lines. Forging nature-based patterns to specific dimensions provided me with the ideal reinforcement for the hammering skills I had brought with me. In addition, the variety of work that I was exposed to nicely exemplified steel sculpture's combination of beauty, strength, and functionality. Ms. Miller also tutored me in oxy-acetylene and stick-welding techniques, which increased both my technical ability and creative flexibility.

1998 - present: Tom Joyce Architectural Blacksmithing, Santa Fe, NM
Shop Assistant
Mr. Joyce introduced me fully to the blacksmith's tradition and history, while simultaneously opening my eyes to steel's sculptural potential beyond welded fabrications. I learned to adapt skills I learned in other trades such as measurement, safety, chemical handling, and basic mechanics to the blacksmith's routine. I absorbed pure blacksmithing techniques, both traditional and progressive, and gained a true appreciation for the art itself. While not a traditional apprentice, I was exposed to fundamentals such as tampering, upsetting, splitting piercing, striking (sledgehammer work, my favorite activity), and advances in the industry such as the power hammer and hydraulic press. I was involved in the production and installation of a myriad of Mr. Joyce's projects, an association I continue to enjoy to this day. Mr. Joyce also introduced me to the blacksmith community, a society that extends laterally across the globe and temporally back into the Iron Age (at least), if not to the roots of humanity itself.

Commissions - Sculptures

2003 - Raven and Coppermaker (with Ed Noisecat)
2002 - Thunderbird Coppers (with Ed Noisecat)
2002 - Moon Mask (with Ed Noisecat)
2001 - The Thinker

Exhibitions

2003 - Gesture Without Motion, solo sculpture Exhibition, Institute of American Indian Arts Museum (IAIA), Santa Fe, NM
2001 - Blair Carnahan Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM
2001 - IAIA Museum Alumni Invitational
1999 - IAIA Museum Graduation Exhibition
1997 - 1999 - IAIA Art in the Raw

Awards and Honors

2007 - First Place - Metal Sculpture, Indian Market, Santa Fe, NM
1999 - Dean's list, IAIA
1998 - Dean's list, IAIA
1997 - First Place, Sculpture. American Indian Higher Education Consortium Conference, Rapid City, SD
1996 - Finalist, Chalk Art Exhibition, Bellingham, WA