Artist Biography
Jason Stout received his BFA in studio art from the University of Tennessee at Martin in 2001 and a MFA in Painting from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2004. Stout’s work visually deals with elements of formal and figurative abstraction, while exploring such themes as power, history, and identity, especially through the guise of southern culture. His work exists in several private and public collections, including the University of West Georgia, Jacksonville State University, The University of Texas at Tyler, and the University of Tennessee at Martin. During his career he has participated in several solo exhibitions and has been a part of several group exhibitions as well. He currently serves as Professor of Art at the University of Tennessee at Martin and is represented by Channel to Channel Gallery in Chattanooga, TN and Circuitous Succession gallery in Memphis. Stout was named TAEA Higher Education Art Educator of the Year for 2015-16 and Best of Show at Art of the South 2016. Stout was also the recent recipient of the 2017-2018 Ray and Wilma Smith Award for creative research, the 2019 UTAA Outstanding Teacher Award, and the 2022 Cunningham Teacher/Scholar Award. His work is featured in New American Paintings South Edition 2020, Thought Art Magazine Issue 5 2022, and various other national exhibition catalogues.
Artist Statement
In My Room, Alone With Everyone
My work consists of paintings and drawings that examine the ideas of absence, loss, presence, and memory. The exploration of these ideas define notions of identity and self. Playing off of the inherent symbolism of objects familiar in art history and popular culture, the work uses objects and places that are both personal to the artist’s consumption and existence. The interiors in this body of work are accompanied with objects that represent ideas of an expanded larger political narrative as well. Ultimately the work engages in the notion of temporality. The objects and other visual elements that are present in the work function within the environment of the pieces to shape narrative. This narrative seeks to explore the nuances of reflection, evocation, absence, and predication.
Jason Stout, 2023