Jason Bly 'The Electronic Ouroboros' Reception

Jason Bly resides in Wichita Falls, TX where he is an Associate Professor of Art at Midwestern State University, teaching painting and drawing courses since 2017. He is a board member for TASA, the Texas Association of Schools of Art from 2019 - 2025. Previous experience includes teaching at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Lewis and Clark Community College. Bly is the Director of the Juanita Harvey Gallery at Midwestern State University and has also served as Director of Exhibitions at the Edwardsville Arts Center 2013-2017. His paintings have been shown in solo, invitational, juried shows, and publications. He holds his MFA in painting from SIUE and MA and BA degrees in painting and printmaking at Eastern Illinois University.

Social Media:
Jason Bly: https://www.jasonbly.com/main.html
Jason Bly: https://www.instagram.com/jblyart/?hl=en
STC Art Gallery: https://www.southtexascollege.edu/art...
STC Art Gallery:   / stc_artgallery  
STC Art Gallery:   / southtexcollegeartgallery  

Artist Statement:
"In this series of paintings, I examine the present day through the lens of past predictions of the 1950's - 1980's. These forecasts, found in scientific journals or science fiction, saw beyond the year 2000 to a variety of outcomes, whether hopeful or fearful of the future. Some theorist wrote of the potential for space travel, new technologies, and stability of life while others predicted a darker turn in nuclear annihilation, fear of the unknown, and a continuing lack of resources. My current work is influenced by both sets of possible futures: the hopeful and the cautionary.

Currently, we exist in the ‘future’ predicted during the mid-20th century. This narrative is explored by combining painted copies of vintage photographs, art historical images, flat patterns, and everyday objects painted in a trompe-l'oeil manner. These everyday household items act as symbolic tokens, or access points, connecting the tangible to the intangible.

I use several layers of oil paint in traditional methods of glazing to create both flat graphic shapes as well as deep realistic passages. This slow, traditional technique, apart from creating a tight visual aesthetic, challenges concepts of forward progress, multi-tasking, and mechanical processes referenced within the imagery. As advances in digital experience has replaced authentic interactions, the painting surface serves as an arena where the meticulous application of color acts in opposition to the quick, multi-tasking elements of everyday life. Through painting elements that are both real and unreal, I am engaged in the painting's ability to stimulate not just the sense of sight but also that of touch."

Dates: November 17, 2025 - December 12, 2025
Reception: November 20, 2025 at 3:00 p.m.
Location: Pecan Campus, Building B-103