Arts & Frames by Wood Gallery

Howard Jason

The images are endearingly familiar: a boy running through a plaza filled with birds; a young girl prancing in a party dress and new shoes; a child choosing a pet dog for his own.Moments of everyday pleasures that form the fabric of life have become the raison d’etre for sculptor Howard Jason who has devoted his last few years translating the innocent joy of children into bronze.

As boy living in Southern California, Jason first developed a fascination with marine life, which would eventually form a major portion of his work.Following his graduation from Otis-Parsons Art Institute and post-graduate study at the Pasadena Art Center, Howard began working along with his father, famed sculptor, Mario Jason.

In 1997, Jason’s focus began to reflect a new interest in children. Recently married and then a new father, Jason began sculpting life-sized figures depicting young girls and boys caught up in a moment of play. Keenly aware of his own happy childhood, Howard’s work brilliantly captures the subtle playfulness and curiosity of children.These sculptures, like those he has done of marine life, share an extraordinary vivacity as well as a respectful attention to the mystery of the subject’s interior lives.

Since 1997, Howard Jason has received numerous commissions from both private and public collectors. In addition to ”Puppy Love” which stands at the entrance to singer Michael Jackson’s “Neverland Ranch”, Jason recently completed three monumental commissions: a 14’ sculpture of five dolphins for a private collector in Houston, Texas, a life-sized figurative sculpture for Bakersfield college, Bakersfield, California, and a sculpture of three children for a family in Las Vegas, Nevada.Howard and his father Mario are also completing a commission for the Nevada Dance Theatre, which will fuse their signature styles:Three young children trying to mimic the actions of two principal dancers in flight.