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As a child, Jason Mathias spent much of his time drawing and fishing aboard his grandfather’s charter boat near Stuart, Fla. Those early days were a harbinger of things to come. Jason would continue to spend a lot of time in the water, and a lot of time drawing. As an Illustration major at The Ringling School of Art & Design in Sarasota, Fla., Mathias became known among students and faculty as “the fish guy.” The underwater world that few knew inspired much of his work. Many of his compositions are drawn from his experiences fishing and diving off Florida and the Cayman Islands. An offshoot of Jason’s diving is that he now films underwater digital video. This brings a more dynamic quality to his work. “I get a lot of my ideas from fishing and diving ... I find that using a digital video reference instead of a still shot allows me to create an overall feeling of movement throughout a painting. With video, nothing is missed,” he says. Mathias thinks that painters who use video as a tool do not get the respect that they deserve from “critics”, even though it is more difficult and possibly more dangerous than merely diving and observing the world underwater.

Opportunity is often borne from adversity and experience. Kerrigan’s time on the water as a professional fisherman has helped him as a photographer, just as winning the Boy Scout Tournament helped him buy his first equipment. “Photography was always an interest…I shot photos for 10 or 12 years as a hobbyist…As a traveling crew member, I saw stuff that was as good or better than pictures I had seen in sportfishing magazines,” he says. Because of his intimate knowledge of how a crew works, Kerrigan contends that he knows “how to stay out of the way” when shooting, and therefore gets invited to come down to the decks of the boats he rides on. This is different than most marine photographers, who are instructed or choose to stay on the bridge. Kerrigan thinks that he gets his shots because he is “able to see and anticipate what is about to happen next.”

Jason has spent his life “studying and observing the fluid motion of water, and its reaction to light and surrounding objects.” He uses both oil and watercolor paint to render his impressions on canvas. “I look for interesting compositions in different marine environments,” he says. “Once I’ve shot enough different elements I put them together using composition, lighting, color theory and mood. For me, great experiences create great paintings.” Jason also believes the most authentic marine art comes from the inside out.  

A true marine artist, he says, must know the anatomy and proportions of the animal. This authenticity can only be achieved by starting with a rough skeletal reproduction on the canvas. The last layer of the painting, he says, is the “skin.” The end result is almost three-dimensional.

Marine art has instilled a commitment to conservation in Mathias. He donates works to various conservation organizations like the Coastal Conservation Association, the International Game Fish Association and Mote Marine Laboratory. Having spent the past decade sharpening his painting and drawing skills, he says, “In 10 years I see my work amongst the top artists in marine wildlife art [and] will focus the next 10 years on getting my work out there and noticed.” In the end, however, he claims that the best way for him to further his career is “to just get out there and get wet.”

To view more of Jason's work, please visit www.jasonmathias.com/