Asheboro based artist Jared Slack will be a guest at the Kaleidoscope Cultural Arts Festival from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27 in downtown Kannapolis. The festival is FREE to attend.

When did you first get started in art?

“I have always made art but really got into it when I was a boy living in Utah and the winter was to cold to go fishing, so my dad and I would paint fishing pictures”

What art form do you focus on?

“I paint, landscape and abstract, oil and watercolor. I am a 4th generation painter, and I just love color, and am in awe of the world around us. I love to paint. I see new things each day, which are worth painting.”

What is your thought process on art?

“I believe in the sublime in art and the world around us.  I think the media I am using should have a strong voice. I consider myself a modernist expressionist painter.”

Have you been involved in any festivals?

“I have participated in about 30 art fairs, have been a featured artist in galleries in North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Indiana, and Ohio, I was named outstanding painter in my Graduating class from Utah State University, where I earned a BFA, and earned a MFA from Miami University.”

What are some of the challenges of your art form?

“Sometimes I get painter’s block. I usually put the painting aside and work on something else. Sometimes I just need a change. I make anywhere from 1 – 15 paintings a month.”

What is your favorite piece of art you have created?

“I have to many favorites, But I love the pieces that just flow, when I feel inspired. These always are the best.”

How have you grown as an artist?

“I am open to exploring more subjects, I no longer ever even think about what my professors might have said or thought. My training is part of me.  I also think it was important to gain that information, so I can learn when and how to break the rules of art.”

Any future plans?

“I would love to do a painting from every state park in North Carolina, or one of all of the counties.  This is a beautiful state and it would give me an excuse to see it all.”

Kannapolis Arts wants to thank the sponsors of the Kaleidoscope Cultural Arts Festival series: the ,North Carolina Research Campus,  the City of Kannapolis, Downtown Kannapolis Inc., the Independent Tribune, the Cabarrus Arts Council, Omega Graphics and Sumie Designs.