STUDIO ART: VISUAL VISCOSITY | PAINTINGS & WORKS ON PAPER
Studio lead Jason Hoelscher’s paintings operate as evolving visual systems built to read fast and unfold slowly. These works activate attention and establish rhythm to shape coherence at a glance, while revealing layered logic, material tension, and accumulated relationships over time within a culture of accelerated images and information.
Scaling Studio Systems Into Civic Space
While intended to stand on their own as an individual body of work, the paintings also serve as a conceptual foundation for the studio’s large-scale integrated artworks in the public sphere, scaling into architectural and civic work through (1) legible color and pattern for wayfinding and orientation, (2) modular compositions suitable for fabrication, cladding, and durable finishes, and (3) experience-driven design that rewards both quick reads and repeat encounters.
Studio lead Jason Hoelscher’s paintings operate as evolving visual systems built to read fast and unfold slowly. These works activate attention and establish rhythm to shape coherence at a glance, while revealing layered logic, material tension, and accumulated relationships over time within a culture of accelerated images and information.
Scaling Studio Systems Into Civic Space
While intended to stand on their own as an individual body of work, the paintings also serve as a conceptual foundation for the studio’s large-scale integrated artworks in the public sphere, scaling into architectural and civic work through (1) legible color and pattern for wayfinding and orientation, (2) modular compositions suitable for fabrication, cladding, and durable finishes, and (3) experience-driven design that rewards both quick reads and repeat encounters.
Recent Paintings: 2025–2026
Artist Statement: Iconographic Overdrive
These paintings and prints are built to read fast and unfold slowly. Each work draws on the visual snap of contemporary logos, tabbed interface spaces, and meme-speed graphics, then translates that urgency into the slowly deliberative, physical media of painting and printmaking.
Designed to balance today's ever-increasing visual intake speeds with today's ever-attenuating attention spans, the works set instant legibility in tension with attentive, sustained visual interest. At a fast glance the forms feel clean and decisive, almost like wayfinding elements for an iconographic system only now contingently coming into focus. Directed attention, however, reveals layered decisions, calibrated color relationships, and spatial complexities that simultaneously combine and contradict both Renaissance depth and modernist flatness. The result is a kind of visual viscosity that functions as an attention map within a media-saturated culture in which focus is fragmented, but the desire for clarity and pattern remains strong.
These paintings and prints are built to read fast and unfold slowly. Each work draws on the visual snap of contemporary logos, tabbed interface spaces, and meme-speed graphics, then translates that urgency into the slowly deliberative, physical media of painting and printmaking.
Designed to balance today's ever-increasing visual intake speeds with today's ever-attenuating attention spans, the works set instant legibility in tension with attentive, sustained visual interest. At a fast glance the forms feel clean and decisive, almost like wayfinding elements for an iconographic system only now contingently coming into focus. Directed attention, however, reveals layered decisions, calibrated color relationships, and spatial complexities that simultaneously combine and contradict both Renaissance depth and modernist flatness. The result is a kind of visual viscosity that functions as an attention map within a media-saturated culture in which focus is fragmented, but the desire for clarity and pattern remains strong.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
Select Paintings: 2014–2024
Selected Exhibitions, Press & Related Studio Endeavors
Selected Solo Exhibitions
Lamasco Gallery. Curvitecture, May–August 2024, Evansville IN
Wren Gallery. Simplexity, June–August 2018, Artsy/Los Angeles CA
Hoffman-LaChance Contemporary. Iconographic Overdrive, August 2016, St. Louis MO
TGB Gallery. Full Spectrum, September–October 2011, Berlin Germany
Gallery See. Syntaxiomatic, July–August 2010, Atlanta GA
Pinnacle Gallery. Minimalish: Recent Paintings, March–April 2010, Savannah GA
Rule Gallery. Attention Span Management, November–December 2009, Denver CO
Cornell DeWitt Gallery: Scope New York. Recent Paintings, March 2004, NYC
Pratt-Steuben Gallery. MFA Thesis Exhibition, March–April 2000, Brooklyn NY
OK Harris Gallery. Recent Paintings, January–February 1999, NYC
Rule Gallery. Ambient Austerity, April 1998, Denver CO
Edge Gallery. NeoNow, January–February 1998, Denver CO
Selected Group Exhibitions
JAG Gallery. Small Works 2024, November 2024, Key West FL
Site: Brooklyn. The Power of Abstraction, September–November 2024. Brooklyn NY
Traveling group exhibition: See Me, March–August 2024. Intl. School of Prague, (Czech Republic), Wirral Met College (Birkenhead UK), Static Complex (Liverpool UK), Prince George College (Maryland), Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, New Mexico School for the Arts/SITE Santa Fe, Snow College (Utah), Brigham Young University (Utah), ArtShare (Los Angeles)
Projects Gallery. Aqua Art Miami, December 2011, 2016, 2018, Miami FL
Jeffrey Leder Gallery. Works on Paper, February–March 2016, Long Island City NY
ParisCONCRET. Poste Concret, 2011, 2013, Paris, France
Farm Project Space. Space-Time, July 2013, Provincetown MA [with illustrated catalog]
Jeffrey Leder Gallery. Abstract: Less is More, May–June 2012, Long Island City, NY
Rule Gallery. Multiple art fairs, 2007–2012, Santa Fe, NYC, Miami
ParisCONCRET Gallery. Stockholm Independent Art Fair, February 2012, Stockholm, Sweden
St. Cecilia’s Gallery. May–June 2011, Brooklyn, NY
Mark Humphrey Gallery. April 2011, Southampton, NY
Moot Gallery. Year of the Rabbit, 2010, 2011, Hong Kong, China
Mr. Beast Gallery. Kaiju, January–February 2011, Savannah GA
ParisCONCRET Gallery. Popular Mechanics, June–July 2010, Paris, France
Jepson Center for the Arts. Open Art, November 2009, Savannah GA
Splashlight Studios. RXArt, November 2006, NYC [with illustrated catalog]
LA Center for Digital Art. Snap to Grid, September–October 2005, Los Angeles CA
Cornell DeWitt Gallery. Art Santa Fe, July 2003, Santa Fe NM
White Columns. Groundswell Benefit, April 2003, NYC
Cornell DeWitt Gallery. FlatOut, September–October 2002, NYC
OK Harris Gallery. Review of the Season: Group Show, July–September 1999, NYC
Selected Press & Media Coverage
Artrepreneur Orange Book NYC. Artist Spotlight: Jason Hoelscher, March–April 2023
Westword. Art Attack: Thirteen of the Best Things for Gallery Lovers to Do in Denver this Week, August 15–21, 2019
The Boston Globe, Sunday Edition. What’s Under the Domes? Hope for a Future, October 14, 2017 [feature article]
HUBweek. The 15 Most Instagrammable Spots in Greater Boston, October 14, 2017
Boston WHDH-TV Channel 7 (NBC affiliate). Interview with HUBweek POLLINATE curator Jason Hoelscher, October 14, 2017
The Boston Globe Online. Five Cutting-Edge Ideas and Attractions from HUBweek, October 13, 2017
RadioBDC. RadioBDC Reporter Julia Kramer Interviews Curator Jason Hoelscher Regarding the POLLINATE Project, October 13, 2017
The Boston Globe Online. This Amazing Sculpture Undergoes an Amazing Transformation at Night, October 13, 2017
HUBweek. Jason Hoelscher: HUBweek Artist of the Day, August 2, 2017
Riverfront Times. Two Must-See Art Openings This Weekend, September 2, 2016 [solo exhibition review]
Professional Artist Magazine, Jason Hoelscher: The Aesthetic Power of Recombination, November 2011 [artist profile]
Artnet Magazine. Brooklyn Local, October 8, 2011
Minus Space: Reductive Art. Jason Hoelscher: Recent Paintings in Berlin, September 30, 2011 [solo exhibition review]
Minus Space: Reductive Art. Popular Mechanics: ParisCONCRET, June 26, 2010
Art Ltd. Magazine. March–April 2010 [solo exhibition review]
Denver Post. The Shapes of Things to Come, January 1, 2010 [solo exhibition review]
Zing Magazine. zingrecs: Zing Recommends, November 2009 [solo exhibition review]
Saatchi Online Magazine. Critics Choice, September 8, 2007
Colorado Springs Independent. Art Hopping, October 14, 1999 [group exhibition review]
Westword. Time Marches On, September 1999 [solo exhibition review]
Rocky Mountain News. Colorado Artists in National Spotlight, December 20, 1998
eye-level: journal of contemporary visual culture. Jason Hoelscher: Deconstructing Constructivism, Winter 1998 [artist profile]
Westword. June 1998 [solo exhibition review]
Westword: Best of Denver Issue. Best Solo Show, Emerging Artist: Jason Hoelscher, NeoNow, April 1998
Westword. February 1998 [solo exhibition review]
AD: Art & Design Denver. In Your Face Silence: The Art of Jason Hoelscher, February 1998 [artist profile]
Selected Visiting Artist Engagements, Residencies & Public Speaking Engagements
Emerson College. Visiting artist/speaker. Class visits, studio visits, Boston MA, February 2025
Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. Commencement speaker, graduation ceremony, May 2024 [by invitation]
University of California: Los Angeles (UCLA). Respondent to lecture on “Floating Reflections: Phenomenal Art in the Bermant Collection,” as part of the Art | Sci Color, Light, Motion lecture series. Los Angeles, CA, July 2022
Artrepreneur. Curator of Systems Aesthetics Exhibition, New York, NY, April 2022
Augusta University. Visiting artist/speaker. Augusta GA, October 2021
East Tennessee State University. Juror, annual undergraduate juried exhibition, April 2021
HOW Art Museum: Shanghai. International Curatorial Residency Program, Shanghai China. June–August 2020 [canceled due to the pandemic]
Museum of Contemporary Art: Denver. Visiting artist/speaker, August 2019
Apex Art: NYC. Juror of curatorial proposals, October 2018
Jacksonville University. Visiting artist/speaker. Public lecture and classroom visits, Jacksonville FL, February 2017
Morris Museum of Art. Public lecture and luncheon with museum patrons, Augusta GA, May 2016
Montserrat College of Art. Visiting artist. Beverly MA, November 2012, February 2014, March 2016
Andy Warhol Foundation. Arts Writers Grant Program Workshop. January–December 2015
Massachusetts College of Art. Visiting artist/speaker. Public lecture and class visits, Boston MA, February 2014
Case Western Reserve University. Visiting artist/speaker. Public lecture and studio visits, Cleveland OH, April 2013
Selected Solo Exhibitions
Lamasco Gallery. Curvitecture, May–August 2024, Evansville IN
Wren Gallery. Simplexity, June–August 2018, Artsy/Los Angeles CA
Hoffman-LaChance Contemporary. Iconographic Overdrive, August 2016, St. Louis MO
TGB Gallery. Full Spectrum, September–October 2011, Berlin Germany
Gallery See. Syntaxiomatic, July–August 2010, Atlanta GA
Pinnacle Gallery. Minimalish: Recent Paintings, March–April 2010, Savannah GA
Rule Gallery. Attention Span Management, November–December 2009, Denver CO
Cornell DeWitt Gallery: Scope New York. Recent Paintings, March 2004, NYC
Pratt-Steuben Gallery. MFA Thesis Exhibition, March–April 2000, Brooklyn NY
OK Harris Gallery. Recent Paintings, January–February 1999, NYC
Rule Gallery. Ambient Austerity, April 1998, Denver CO
Edge Gallery. NeoNow, January–February 1998, Denver CO
Selected Group Exhibitions
JAG Gallery. Small Works 2024, November 2024, Key West FL
Site: Brooklyn. The Power of Abstraction, September–November 2024. Brooklyn NY
Traveling group exhibition: See Me, March–August 2024. Intl. School of Prague, (Czech Republic), Wirral Met College (Birkenhead UK), Static Complex (Liverpool UK), Prince George College (Maryland), Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, New Mexico School for the Arts/SITE Santa Fe, Snow College (Utah), Brigham Young University (Utah), ArtShare (Los Angeles)
Projects Gallery. Aqua Art Miami, December 2011, 2016, 2018, Miami FL
Jeffrey Leder Gallery. Works on Paper, February–March 2016, Long Island City NY
ParisCONCRET. Poste Concret, 2011, 2013, Paris, France
Farm Project Space. Space-Time, July 2013, Provincetown MA [with illustrated catalog]
Jeffrey Leder Gallery. Abstract: Less is More, May–June 2012, Long Island City, NY
Rule Gallery. Multiple art fairs, 2007–2012, Santa Fe, NYC, Miami
ParisCONCRET Gallery. Stockholm Independent Art Fair, February 2012, Stockholm, Sweden
St. Cecilia’s Gallery. May–June 2011, Brooklyn, NY
Mark Humphrey Gallery. April 2011, Southampton, NY
Moot Gallery. Year of the Rabbit, 2010, 2011, Hong Kong, China
Mr. Beast Gallery. Kaiju, January–February 2011, Savannah GA
ParisCONCRET Gallery. Popular Mechanics, June–July 2010, Paris, France
Jepson Center for the Arts. Open Art, November 2009, Savannah GA
Splashlight Studios. RXArt, November 2006, NYC [with illustrated catalog]
LA Center for Digital Art. Snap to Grid, September–October 2005, Los Angeles CA
Cornell DeWitt Gallery. Art Santa Fe, July 2003, Santa Fe NM
White Columns. Groundswell Benefit, April 2003, NYC
Cornell DeWitt Gallery. FlatOut, September–October 2002, NYC
OK Harris Gallery. Review of the Season: Group Show, July–September 1999, NYC
Selected Press & Media Coverage
Artrepreneur Orange Book NYC. Artist Spotlight: Jason Hoelscher, March–April 2023
Westword. Art Attack: Thirteen of the Best Things for Gallery Lovers to Do in Denver this Week, August 15–21, 2019
The Boston Globe, Sunday Edition. What’s Under the Domes? Hope for a Future, October 14, 2017 [feature article]
HUBweek. The 15 Most Instagrammable Spots in Greater Boston, October 14, 2017
Boston WHDH-TV Channel 7 (NBC affiliate). Interview with HUBweek POLLINATE curator Jason Hoelscher, October 14, 2017
The Boston Globe Online. Five Cutting-Edge Ideas and Attractions from HUBweek, October 13, 2017
RadioBDC. RadioBDC Reporter Julia Kramer Interviews Curator Jason Hoelscher Regarding the POLLINATE Project, October 13, 2017
The Boston Globe Online. This Amazing Sculpture Undergoes an Amazing Transformation at Night, October 13, 2017
HUBweek. Jason Hoelscher: HUBweek Artist of the Day, August 2, 2017
Riverfront Times. Two Must-See Art Openings This Weekend, September 2, 2016 [solo exhibition review]
Professional Artist Magazine, Jason Hoelscher: The Aesthetic Power of Recombination, November 2011 [artist profile]
Artnet Magazine. Brooklyn Local, October 8, 2011
Minus Space: Reductive Art. Jason Hoelscher: Recent Paintings in Berlin, September 30, 2011 [solo exhibition review]
Minus Space: Reductive Art. Popular Mechanics: ParisCONCRET, June 26, 2010
Art Ltd. Magazine. March–April 2010 [solo exhibition review]
Denver Post. The Shapes of Things to Come, January 1, 2010 [solo exhibition review]
Zing Magazine. zingrecs: Zing Recommends, November 2009 [solo exhibition review]
Saatchi Online Magazine. Critics Choice, September 8, 2007
Colorado Springs Independent. Art Hopping, October 14, 1999 [group exhibition review]
Westword. Time Marches On, September 1999 [solo exhibition review]
Rocky Mountain News. Colorado Artists in National Spotlight, December 20, 1998
eye-level: journal of contemporary visual culture. Jason Hoelscher: Deconstructing Constructivism, Winter 1998 [artist profile]
Westword. June 1998 [solo exhibition review]
Westword: Best of Denver Issue. Best Solo Show, Emerging Artist: Jason Hoelscher, NeoNow, April 1998
Westword. February 1998 [solo exhibition review]
AD: Art & Design Denver. In Your Face Silence: The Art of Jason Hoelscher, February 1998 [artist profile]
Selected Visiting Artist Engagements, Residencies & Public Speaking Engagements
Emerson College. Visiting artist/speaker. Class visits, studio visits, Boston MA, February 2025
Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. Commencement speaker, graduation ceremony, May 2024 [by invitation]
University of California: Los Angeles (UCLA). Respondent to lecture on “Floating Reflections: Phenomenal Art in the Bermant Collection,” as part of the Art | Sci Color, Light, Motion lecture series. Los Angeles, CA, July 2022
Artrepreneur. Curator of Systems Aesthetics Exhibition, New York, NY, April 2022
Augusta University. Visiting artist/speaker. Augusta GA, October 2021
East Tennessee State University. Juror, annual undergraduate juried exhibition, April 2021
HOW Art Museum: Shanghai. International Curatorial Residency Program, Shanghai China. June–August 2020 [canceled due to the pandemic]
Museum of Contemporary Art: Denver. Visiting artist/speaker, August 2019
Apex Art: NYC. Juror of curatorial proposals, October 2018
Jacksonville University. Visiting artist/speaker. Public lecture and classroom visits, Jacksonville FL, February 2017
Morris Museum of Art. Public lecture and luncheon with museum patrons, Augusta GA, May 2016
Montserrat College of Art. Visiting artist. Beverly MA, November 2012, February 2014, March 2016
Andy Warhol Foundation. Arts Writers Grant Program Workshop. January–December 2015
Massachusetts College of Art. Visiting artist/speaker. Public lecture and class visits, Boston MA, February 2014
Case Western Reserve University. Visiting artist/speaker. Public lecture and studio visits, Cleveland OH, April 2013
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