Monday, December 1, 2003

Jay Fleming, Artist (Arts Feature)

All I need to say about Jay Fleming is that he has an abundance of talent and a geniunely whimsical way of looking at the world that you want to share. I have a few of his signed prints that I'm proud to own.

Jay Fleming is one of Jackson’s more unique artists. During the last several years, he has begun to cultivate a strong following among collectors who enjoy retro scenes of the 1950s and 1960s and his work tends to sell out quickly in the galleries and shops that carry his work.

“I really focus on that early era of technology; on the optimism, energy, and exuberance of the times,” he said. At first glace, Fleming’s work – pastel-hued, clever, and bright – is the definition of retro. Bathing beauties in swim caps dive into kidney-shaped pools. A three-wheeled car waits in front of salmon-colored shops for a female passenger. Huge motel signs jut into pastel-blue skies.

“All my paintings depict scenes from the 1950s and early 1960s,” Fleming said. “It was a time when man didn’t seem to have any limits, due to breakthroughs in science, medicine, and unlimited new products; there was so much energy, excitement, and optimism about the future and that was reflected in the architecture and design of the products of the era. There were products that seem a little wacky today, like the three-wheeled Messerschmitt cars.”