web exclusive: Passion in Athens
A look inside the workings of a beautiful mind.
“I never say no to women,” Jason Licht, a client artist at Passion Works Studio in Athens, said with a laugh. Each week about 50 clients come in to work with the staff and other client artists to create everything from greeting cards, jewelry, and the most recognized symbol of the organization, the passion flower. The clients are community members, both with and without developmental disabilities.
As a child, Jason was born with cerebral palsy and today he is in a motorized chair. At 9 a.m., Jason is rearing to go. As he is hard at work on painting various areas of a canvas, he interacts with the other artists. Sometimes singing along to the music flowing from the near-by computer, Jason is thoroughly enjoying himself. Typically, it will take a month for Jason to complete one of his paintings. “[My painting] started off as a blank canvas and I added some color,” Jason said as he brushes some orange paint onto his work. Jason is not a big fan of brights and neons, but rather “darker stuff.” It’s not that Jason shies away from all color, he just prefers to balance the brighter colors with darker ones.
Passion Works was originally set up in 1996 after several short term residencies and grants from the Ohio Art Council. In 1998, David Barba, Passion Works administrator, went to the board and asked for further funding. From there, the Passion Works Studio and store were opened for good. Passion Works recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. At 32 years old, Jason is blessed to have been around for most of that run.
The style Jason has adapted over the years is enough for people to recognize it as his very own. The piece he is working on this morning is for his counselor. Her office has simple white walls and no wall hangings. He has coined two possible names for the piece. Jason came up with “Color for the Office” and Chris Biester, one of the lead artists-in-residence quickly added, “Or ‘Color for the Cubicle.’ It has some alliteration.” This piece will be the very first he has created for his counselor. Jason says the painting will be free to her. “Hey, she’s helped me out,” he said with a smile.
One of Jason’s creations “Anthem of Life,” was featured in The New Skinny Monkey Magazine, a collaborative publication compiled by the artists at Passion Works. The created the piece to honor his late parents. In response to the happy appearance of “Anthem of Life,” Jason has also created “Serenity’s Brass Ring,” which depicts the struggle with anger he has gone through with losing his parents.
In addition to creating various canvases, Jason has made two custom-ordered Passion Flowers. One, ordered by a man in Alabama, was black with a skull in the middle and hand-like petals. The second one was painted in various shades of blues and purples with red skull eyes. True to his word, these flowers are in Jason’s unique style and not as vibrant as the other Passion Flowers sold.
While painting has become his passion within the studio, it wasn’t always that way. “Wendy [Minor Viny, the lead artist-in-residence] had to drag that talent out of me. I didn’t even know it was there,” Jason said. As a student at Athens High School years ago, Jason was not remotely interested in art. He spent his time playing with his ham radio, often called amateur radio. Using the radio enables Jason to speak with people all over the world. He once talked to people from Australia, Alaska, Asia, and even the Middle East. In addition to his ham radio, Jason loves metal music, oldies and other genres depending on his mood. “I am a closet 80s rap fan, but we won’t share that,” Jason said.
Jason believes he found himself when he came to Passion Works. The employees of the studio really make it a priority to get to know their artists and to make art a fun and therapeutic process. Despite the difficulties Jason has with his health and the feelings he has for his deceased parents, he does not let it bring him down. “I have a disability but it does not have me. I like to call it birth trauma. Birth defect implies I’m broken and I’m far from it.” Today, Jason lives with his biological brother, Rodney. The strength and confidence Jason has attained from the organization is something he says has translated to other parts of his life.
“Art has taught me acceptance. If it wasn’t for art, I wouldn’t have most of my friends.”
The Passion Flower
As the official flower for the City of Athens, the Passion Flower is the most recognizable symbol of Passion Works. Over 16,000 flowers have been sold to this day, with some flowers traveling overseas! There are several other designs, including gold, silver, and rust. The Front Room even has three Passion Flowers on display as part of their décor. Shops on Court Street including Chapman Jewelers, Court Street Collection, and Themes have the items in stock and you can also go online to look at and purchase any of their products.