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Jack Boucher is a self taught multidisciplinary artist who incorporates and combines social commentary with the juxtapositions of pop culture imagery. Using both humor and sincerity he is influenced by contemporary Pop art, and surrealism. He has exhibited work at Adobe books and mrkt gllry in San Francisco, goodmotherstudios in Oakland, ATTELIER gallery in San Rafael, and unimportant gallery in Petaluma. His new work explores duality using airbrush, acrylic and oil on canvas. Born and raised in California, he currently works out of his home studio in Petaluma.
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Hi Jack! It’s a pleasure to sit down with you! First question that I always ask. How does a regular day look like for you in California?
Jack: Typically I wake up with my cat sleeping a couple inches from my face as my four alarms attempt to wake me up before making coffee, then I’ll drive my old truck to work blasting screamo music to try and wake me up more.
I’m curious, growing up what kind of kid were you? What did you enjoy doing, and how did you spend your time?
Jack: When I was a kid I was infatuated with legos, Minecraft, YouTube, riding my skateboard to the convenience store, learning how to draw, and hanging out with my friends. My Instagram username actually originates from my childhood stop motion lego YouTube channel, and for some reason the name stuck.
How has being born and raised in California influenced the cultural references and social commentary in your art?
Jack: I grew up in San Jose California until I was 14 and there was a lot of diversity there and always a new experience to be had. I also grew up going to catholic school which has a huge impact on my development and understanding on how life worked. During highschool I moved a couple hours north to a small town called Petaluma that allowed me to discover myself more because I became a hermit here.
Alright, so when did you start to paint, and when did you start taking being an artist seriously?
jack: I started painting in highschool attempting to dodge going to other classes and finding a quiet corner in the art room was always a comforting space. After my first solo show in 2017 I starting taking painting a lot more seriously and it really became a part of my identity.
Ok Jack, with these next series of questions, I will try to delve into your work as best as possible… So, your art combines humor and sincerity. How do you balance these two tones without one overshadowing the other?
Jack: Laughter has always been the best medicine for me in any facet of life and painting is no different. Painting to me is something trying to figure out how I feel about something, and juxtaposing a completely out of context idea helps me understand my relationship with both motifs better.
And how do you decide which elements of pop culture or social commentary to include in your work? What do you look for when choosing your next motifs to paint?
Jack: I choose subject matter by whatever inspires me throughout the day, which is typically just about anything. A McDonalds sign, a pokemon card I saw, shitty news I read about, a video game I played, a funny YouTube video, other art I’ve seen, or sometimes an old painting sitting in my storage container, to me there’s no limit to what can impact me all the time.
Surrealism and contemporary Pop art are central to your work. Are there any specific themes or topics that are important for you to document?
Jack: Personal expression and understanding myself will always be what drives me to create the most and there’s nothing like a bad day that makes me want to paint more.
Would you consider yourself a nostalgic person?
Jack: Being only 24 years old right now, I think I’m as nostalgic as I can be, but everything that feels like an old memory or connection is still so close to how I am and that makes it hard to call it nostalgia.
Can you walk me through your creative process from beginning to end result?
Jack: Most commonly I’ll search through my pile of old paintings in my storage container and find one I’m tired of looking at and decide to paint over it. Then I’ll scramble over things I’ve seen or remember throughout the day to try and figure out something that works. By the time I start painting everything I have planned goes out the window and the work tends to find itself. Regularly I won’t fully grasp the ideas or larger meaning of the painting until a couple of days after when I’ve had time to sit and stare at the work while it sits on my wall.
Can you also tell me about your use of symbolism?
Jack: Symbolism has played a vital role in my work since I started taking my art more seriously. I believe that the pop culture images and ideas that I portray onto canvas are as much a part of me as they are a part of the artwork and reflect a connection I have with them.
How do you approach color?
Jack: Color typically comes second in importance to me after composition and complexity with design. But I do use blue and green too often which I try and stray from as much as possible.
So with what we just talked about, what are you hoping to convey?
Jack: My attempt to convey my self, my interests, my ideals and who I am is the bane of my work and as long as I continue to do those things I will always be making art as much as possible.
In a parallel universe who would you be? and what would you be doing?
Jack: I like to think I would be spending more time outside in a parallel universe, painting always keeps me inside so often cleaning my airbrush, fixing brushes, and staring at canvases. I’ve always been a huge fan of camping and traveling to new places, going across the country on a roadtrip and sitting by a fire at the end of the day and sleeping in a hammock.
Can you tell me a story about a time when a connection with someone had a big impact on you?
Jack: When I first moved to Petaluma, the first place I gravitated to naturally was the local skateshop. The new owner there has had a huge impact on me since the day I met him. Teaching me about skateboarding, music, politics, art, and just generally how to be creative person. I used to go in there everyday after high school and sit behind the counter until closing just trying to absorb everything I could, and I miss it constantly.
What qualities do you find most important in the people you choose to spend time with?
Jack: I always try and surround myself with likeminded creative and artistic people and so many of my friends are the most talented and inspiring people I know.
Anybody you look up to?
Jack: I’ve had lots of people that have pushed me to be a better artist, whether it be a teacher, a mentor, my family, my girlfriend, my friends, coworkers, fellow artists, and I look up to all of them and what they’ve done for me and I’m grateful everyday to be surrounded by the people that help me do what I do, whether they know it or not.
What motivates you?
Jack: Thinking of how proud a naive younger version would be of who I am today always inspires me to keep pushing when things get hard, I believe that setting small attainable goals consistently drives me to keep creating, and completing those tasks and making art all the time pushes me to do even more.
How would you describe a perfect day?
Jack: A perfect day would have to start with a coffee and a bagel on an overcast morning, followed by a bike ride around town, then a trip to a body of water and some skateboarding and beers. Then capping off the end of the day airbrushing a shirt then painting until I finally crash and put on a crappy movie.
Alright Jack, I always ask these two questions at the end of an interview. The first is. What’s your favorite movie(s) and why?
Jack: I love the movie Naked Gun (1988), my brother showed it to me when I was a kid and I adored that he wanted to watch a movie with me even though I didn’t get it. Now as an adult every joke and pun has me smiling from ear to ear happy that I finally get it and it has me reminiscing the first time I watched it.
The second is. What song(s) are you currently listening to the most right now?
Jack: Lately I haven’t been able to stop listening to the bands Train breaks Down and What’s yours is mine, but I always like listening to a nostalgic 2000s era punk rock song, electronic music or some reggae on a Friday night.