Note: the following is part of Glasstire’s series of short videos, Five-Minute Tours, for which commercial galleries, museums, nonprofits and artist-run spaces across the state of Texas send us video walk-throughs of their current exhibitions. This will continue while the coronavirus situation hinders public access to exhibitions. Let’s get your show in front of an audience.
See other Five-Minute Tours here.
Jason Robichau: The Art of Sport at The Arts Council of Brazos Valley, College Station. Dates: August 18 – December 23, 2021.
From The Arts Council of Brazos Valley, Robichau’s artist statement:
“Growing up in Texas, I was obsessed with sports. Most of my earliest memories revolve around sporting events: watching the 1985 Super Bowl in awe of Walter Payton, going to Houston Astros games with my family and the sound that a Nolan Ryan fastball would make, watching Christian Laettner’s perfect game against Kentucky, etc…
As a kid, my brothers, friends, and I would love to draw some of our favorite baseball players from their baseball cards. I vividly remember that feeling I would get trying to recreate the image on the card in my sketchbook. As I matured, both as a person and an artist, I realized that this was something that wasn’t just a hobby for me, but something that I wanted to pursue as a career. The turning point came for me in the midst of watching ESPN while in college. They were airing a story on Hunter Kelly (Buffalo Bill’s QB Jim Kelly’s son) and his battle with Krabbe Leukodystrophy. I was so moved by the story that I instantly called the Hunter’s Hope Foundation and told them that I would like to help. I said to them that I don’t have any money but I could paint a picture of Jim that they could auction off. One thing led to another and a few months later, I was in Buffalo, NY presenting the painting to Jim and the Hunter’s Hope staff. For the duration of my college career, I would select people that I liked and wanted to meet and do similar things. After college, though, I realized that I couldn’t keep giving away my paintings, or else I would literally be a starving artist.
Since 2004, I have been blessed to be able to paint full-time as my career. This passion of mine has brought me all over the country meeting incredible athletes and patrons. One of my missions starting out was to use my talents to help others. God has blessed me with the ability to paint and what I do with it is how I can pass that blessing on. I am proud to say that since 2004, my artwork has raised over half a million dollars for some amazing non-profits and foundations around the country! Glory be to God! One of the great things about my art is that when I finish a painting, I still get that same feeling that I do many years ago recreating those baseball cards in my sketchbook!
I hope that you enjoy my artwork as much as I enjoy creating it!”
