Many artists, when asked how they got started, will cite a parent or teacher who encouraged them, an artist they admired—someone who guided them to their vocation.

For Western oil painter Jason Lee Tako, all of these influences played a role, and he is generous in giving credit to everyone who supported him on his journey. But, when he recounts his foundations, it’s clear that his first and best inspiration was nature itself and the simple act of sketching what he saw in the woods.

“Growing up in rural Minnesota, I would get up at five in the morning and go out in the woods and sketch, which was a little unusual, but I really enjoyed it,” Tako says of his routine in his hometown of Faribault, Minnesota. “I really liked the solitude. There were wetlands, a lot of woodland areas and lakes.”

Read the full article in the November/December 2024 issue.

Blessing the Thunder Iron

Oil
38″ by 30″