Art of Rye is a feature of MyRye.com where we will occasionally feature artwork of Rye, New York. See below for directions on how to recommend an artist or art work for display.
About the Photo
Rye Playland Beach. The boardwalk and beach at Playland. By Jason Pritchard.
About the Artist
British-born American artist Jason Pritchard is best known for his seascape oil paintings of New England. He grew up in East Anglia in the UK, a region that inspired British landscape painters such as John Constable and Thomas Gainsborough who he greatly admires.
Creativity was ingrained in him from childhood. Growing up surrounded by his family’s printing business, he always had an abundance of paper at his fingertips, sketching endlessly and developing an early understanding of design, composition and form. In his early 20’s he moved to London and took up watercolor painting, before he moved to New York in 2005 where he studied oil painting at the Art Students League of New York for several years.
Jason’s artist statement gives insight into his creative process, “I work in oil to create evocative coastal paintings that capture the fleeting moods of the East coast shoreline —a place of ever-changing light, atmosphere, and timeless beauty. My work is deeply connected to this region, distilling its essence into artwork that preserves a moment in time.
Most of my paintings begin as en plein air studies, where I immerse myself in the landscape and embrace the unpredictability of the coastal environment using it as both the subject and collaborator. These intimate studies serve as the foundation for my larger studio works. The result is a painting that is not just a visual representation, but an emotional artifact—one that embodies the movement of the tides, the shifting skies, and the raw energy of the sea.
Visiting these locations is essential to my process. I walk the beaches, listen to the waves, and commit to memory the feeling of being there. This personal connection ensures that every painting is more than an image—it is an experience, a narrative woven with light, texture, and memory.”
Recent accomplishments include being selected as a 2020 Emerging Artist by Cape Cod Art Magazine, acknowledging his growing body of Cape Cod Seascapes paintings. He has exhibited work in New York City, Long Island and his home region of Connecticut.
Suggest an Artist or Artwork
Do you know about an artist or artwork (painting, photography or another medium) that should be featured on MyRye.com? The actual artwork must be of a person or place in Rye, New York. Contact us with your suggestions.
