Jason McLean

Recording his daily experiences, observations, and personal stories in a range of media, Jason McLean has likened his work to a “mental map.” He cites Ray Johnson, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Raymond Pettibon as artistic influences, though he also draws inspiration from his children’s drawings, bottle cap designs, stamp art, frozen pizza boxes, and found objects that pique his interest. Recalling the automatic drawings of surrealist artists, his bright, graphic collages and works of ink on paper feature a web of semi-connected words and themes related to pop culture, daily life, and McLean’s inner world and struggles with schizophrenia. McLean set out to become a sculptor, initially creating soft, hand-sewn pieces influenced by Claes Oldenburg and Jessica Stockholder, but turned to drawing in the late 1990s.