Interview

Nov 13

Jamison Kaufman

After growing up and residing for 30 years in Los Angeles, Jamison moved to the Monterey Peninsula and spent 35 years in Carmel Valley, California. A Rotarian since 2002, she won 13 District Awards for excellence, President of the Year and Club of the year. She was awarded the first ever prestigious Rotary International Public Image Citation for her contributions to the vision and message of Rotary world-wide through her contribution of her graphic design skills.

Jamison attended Westlake School for Girls, Los Angeles, CA and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. She is a graduate of Landmark Forum, an international leadership-training program and the Rotary Int. President Elect Training Seminars. Jamison has worked in the design world since 1975. She created Carmel Valley Magazine from 2000-2010: published, edited and personally sold all advertising for 96 issues and produced some 40,000 pages of graphic design. C.V. Magazine twice won the Business of the Year. In concert with her publishing vocation, she served as voluntary literacy assistant at Tularcitos Elementary school in Carmel Valley reading to third graders. Recently she published, designed and edited two cookbooks for her client: and published a magazine for, about and by Visalia, CA to attempt to change the ‘lowest literacy rate in the country’ statistic. A community-written color magazine, online only, was a wonderful way to bring learning to a mostly Hispanic population without having it look like traditional learning. Finally able to pursue painting again, she created Heartlight Art, showcasing her many talents. A lifelong creator and animal rescuer, the work often evokes the same emotional warmth and visual charm that defines inspired and beloved storytelling. She loves to paint, design, garden, fashion photography, international travel and does her best to keep up with the news.

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“My conscious foray into the world of creativity started with watercolors as a very young girl in school. I learned crafts at camp and made art out of ‘found’ objects into my teens. Just before graduating from high school I discovered oils and acrylics and found a passion for painting. I found the process of it, the actual putting paint to surface was a game-changer and wanted to learn more and more technique, perspective, color choice, the chemistry of the compounds and the final image - ‘good’ or ‘bad’ was just the result of that journey.”

What inspires you?

“I am so inspired by everything! Bugs, buildings, philosophical conversations, science, nature, art - just everything. I am a connector by nature and my brain can connect two random thoughts sometimes to create something fun and unusual.”

What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?

“After many decades on the planet my pursuit is basically harmony - being at peace with your self and surroundings, but also those interactions of inspiration and surprise in how we are really more alike than not. The ‘heart light.’ People, animals, plants, rocks, stars, we are all one.”

How would you describe your work?

“While as a creative, I have never really like being ‘placed in a box’ and labeled as a style, so I created the tag line for my Headlight Art creations as ‘Fine Art for a Fun Feeling.’ Modern style, bright colors, mostly realistic and evoking a sense of bringing you into the space that the image exists in.”

Which artists influence you most?

“Oh, Michael Parkes right off the top! Will Bullas, Lynn Lupetti, all elegant and brilliant and mostly gentle. I love newer artists Russel Miyaki, Michele-Poirier Mozzone, Beth Monroe to name just a FEW - I love all kinds of art, sculptures, fibre, film, music, all huge influences.”

“After many decades on the planet my pursuit is basically harmony - being at peace with your self and surroundings, but also those interactions of inspiration and surprise in how we are really more alike than not.”

What is your creative process like?

“My creations start with an image in mind that evokes an emotion of fun and respect! Usually a photograph, or a compilation of images that I will then transfer to the canvas and then begin the next walk through my senses. I am getting a bit more adventurous now and my subject matter and style is growing, but it always about composition and light.”

What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?

“Artists are society! Creative expression and output is essential to the spirit of any animal. Many animals come up with new ways to get what they want: Crows and ravens bend wires into hooks or drop nuts on roads so cars crack them open. Octopuses use coconut shells or jars as portable shelters — that’s resourceful design thinking! Art of any kind is the source to release emotional experience. Always powerful - not always pretty.”

Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?

“I have just started showing my work in the last year or two and have found online international public art shows a beginning, affordable and a moment of exposure digitally - always painted and photographed, not created on the computer. Also learning about NFTs now...AI has introduced a whole new paradigm. A whole new universe of possibilities. This should be amazing.”

Website: www.heartlightart.com