Artist With ADHD Completes Most Dangerous Painting

While artist Bryan Lewis Saunders (1) has drawn under the influence of various drugs, this illustrator draws while partaking in every day activities - even while driving or walking. Van Jazmin, a 28 year old graphic designer in Los Angeles, began drawing from life as a means to cope with anxiety. “It’s why I started drawing at parties… a fidgeting habit which has since evolved into its own art practice,” says Jazmin, a graduate of Ringling College.

Jazmin uses everyday materials like markers to create paintings in 20 minutes or less, freezing moments on the page through rapid sketching. However, he does not attribute this skill to having a photographic memory or being a master artist, but rather the sensory overload that is common for sufferers of ADHD. Jazmin, diagnosed with ADHD in 2016, wants his work to serve as not only a means to stay calm, but for other people to understand what he sees. “My drawings are less about observing subjects and more about observing my attention itself,” says Jazmin, “My mind is drawn to these points of focus, and the quickness of the lines is because not only is the subject in motion - I am in motion as well, and my thoughts are racing. This is a physical document of a meditation.”

Jazmin completed his most “dangerous painting” in 2019, in which he created a landscape entirely while operating a motor vehicle. “I started and finished this piece while driving down Oklahoma State Highway 99 - I figured it would be fine as long as my eyes were on the road and I worked fast,” he confesses.

Jazmin’s candid sketch style has appealed to high energy brands like Red Bull, who sent him on assignment to capture music events like a court sketch artist (2). Jazmin’s work is known by leaders in the world of electronic dance music. According to a live stream of the event, Jazmin was on the scene when Skrillex and Diplo attempted to break a world record for the longest DJ Set (3). In solidarity, he drew for the duration of the DJ marathon - totalling 17 hours.

In 2014, Jazmin would be invited to tour with LA Based producer and DJ, Kill The Noise. (4) “He [Jake Stanczak] was inspired by the story where Bob Dylan brought Allen Ginsberg on tour to make poetic observations. He wanted an illustrator instead of a videographer for this tour,” Jazmin explains, “So an A&R saw me sketching back stage and introduced us… I didnt start live sketching thinking that it would open doors, but it has.”

More of Van Jazmin’s art can be seen on instagram. http://instagram.com/vanjazmin

Links:

1 https://www.businessinsider.sg/artist-paints-self-portrait-of-himself-on-a-different-drug-every-day-gets-brain-damage-2018-6/

2 https://www.redbull.com/us-en/artist-captures-joey-badass-spitting-fire-on-stage

3 https://time.com/3725455/skrillex-diplo-dj-24-hour/

4 http://tourartist.tumblr.com

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Ringling College of Art and Design is a private college focused on art and design and located in Sarasota, Florida

This release was published on openPR.