My artwork began as a love of drawing and has developed into the use of several mediums such as charcoal, pastel, oil paint, watercolor, and computer graphics. The majority of my work focuses on precision and detail. This is because I prefer a planned and careful process to achieve my finished work.

The themes I most often use reflect the experiences of my life. I admire those artists who are able to capture basic observations of their lives and make meaningful statements as a reflection of this in their artwork. I feel this ability is most apparent in the work of the American regionalists who used their talents to capture the wonder of ordinary life. I try to use a similar motivation to inspire my work.

I create because I hope to share my own experiences with the world; through the comedy of an animated cartoon or via the portrait of a three-year-old orphan whose life is already scarred by the A.I.D.S. pandemic. I feel that I must use my talent to reach out and share what I’ve learned with others. Over recent years my art has further developed according to this desire to share.

The inspiration for my art has come from several different places. I have worked alongside villagers in Honduras to rebuild homes, supervised Christian Life Camp on a reservation, spent a summer instructing rock-climbing and a summer as a canoe guide in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and once lived in Morogoro, Tanzania for three months studying the culture, religion, and art. I hope these are only the beginnings of the travels I will one day have to inspire my work. Until that day, I will continue to create so that I may convey my insights with others.

Jacob Kohlhaas

04/15/04