Published Issue 136, April 2025
Chicago artist Jason White uses pen, ink and oil to create eye candy, portraits and scenes of otherworldly creatures often interacting with morphed, peculiar people in curious fantasy environments. His illustrations and paintings are seemingly riddled with a deep sense of humor and child-like play, but dig a little deeper and it’s clear that his work is multilayered. An almost personal journal turned fever dream world, his art often invokes our own nostalgic memories or even cuts straight to the heart of experiences that we too might have undergone or are currently going through. Whenever Jason shares a piece, it’s like a little dose of we’re-in-this-together medicine and a reminder that life maybe isn’t meant to be all figured out. And with that, we might as well have a little fun along the way.
I had the honor of interviewing Jason for the debut of Draw Your Answers.
How was your experience as a child on the Bozo Show?
Okay, my crying on the Bozo Show story: When I was maybe around 8, I got to be in the studio audience for a taping of the Bozo Show in Chicago. It was bizarre for me because I loved watching the show and now I was IN the show, watching Bozo, Cooky, Wizzo and Frazier Thomas. Oh, golly! Bozo was played by Bob Bell, who was the inspiration for Krusty the Clown [of The Simpsons] because of his loud and abrasive voice. I remember how intense his presence was in person. Imagine a furious Tom Waits screaming in the room constantly.
So back then, the method to pick the two contestants for Bozo Buckets was by having the camera go helter-skelter over the audience with a blinking arrow at the center of the screen, and whomever the arrow was pointing at when the camera froze was chosen. Later on, the method of picking contestants changed to them just pulling names from a drum — possibly because of what was about to happen to me.
So in the studio, they rolled out some TVs so the audience could see the stupid arrow bounce around the crowd. Well, when the arrow stopped, it was at the top of my head, and also kind of on the kid sitting in the row behind me — the arrow tip was right on the edge of us. I remember feeling clueless as hands pushed me towards the stage, but the other kid was also headed to the stage. So on camera, you see me looking up at Frazier Thomas, with my bowl cut and he says, “We don’t want you, son. We want the other boy. We want the other boy.” Then you see me turn and head back to my seat.
When the other boy starts with his go at the Bozo Buckets, tossing the ping-pong balls at the buckets, you notice everyone in the audience isn’t watching, they’re looking at the crying boy. I stole the show. There was several minutes of this — my weeping red face in the audience. I remember being confused and embarrassed, and how Bozo seemed to be constantly screaming.
After the show, they have the audience walk passed the camera and wave on the way out of the studio during closing credits, which I did. Then, as we were slowly shuffling down a hall towards the parking lot, Cooky came running after me. He said something nice and gave me a Nerf football.
Give us a snapshot of your current creative space.
When did you know you were an artist?
In kindergarten my class was asked to draw a dog in our workbook. I drew a bulldog face that made everyone dump themselves with disbelief. Everyone else drew these messed up dogs that looked like a caveman drew a stick person’s dog poorly. My fellow students and the teacher gathered around me to see this bulldog face, with its nose and cheek flaps and all that. That was the moment I noticed I was an artist.
If you could bring one of your characters to life, what/who would it be?
We’re always so blown away by the volume of work you pump out. What keeps you motivated to keep creating?
Ever since I can remember, I would draw a lot. My mother said my grandmother would often encourage me to draw from early on. Drawing just happens automatically. I tried to think of why or how I’m motivated to draw so much, almost constantly, but it just happens. It’s enjoyable to see technical improvement over time and getting better with visualizing ideas with practice. I always have a pen and paper on me.
What scares you?
What do you love to do outside of making art?
Biggest artistic influences.
Favorite creatures.
Favorite movie.
Favorite song.
“Poet Bums” by Robert Pollard
Check out more of Jason White’s work on Instagram.
Krysti Joméi is the co-owner and co-founder of Birdy Magazine. Creating in Colorado for the past decade plus, she’s lived all around San Francisco, by Houston’s NASA, on an island across from Seattle, near the WA/Canadian border, and under the Nandi Hills in Kenya. She loves outer space, the ocean, running in nature, anything written by Trent Reznor, and adventuring with her partner, Jonny, husky and black cat.
Check out Jason’s March art install, in case you missed it, or head to our Explore section to see more of his work.