NCJ: I have been a professional artist on and off for the past twenty years. I stopped for a few years to start a family and worked in the corporate world. I realized after awhile that I was doing myself a disservice if I wasn't following my passion. So for the last 7 years I have been strictly a full time artist.

CCS: What/Who are some of the inspirations for you and your art? Did this help guide you to where you are today?

NCJ: I have been inspired by some amazing artist including Francis Bacon, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Basquiat, Lucien Freud and Jenny Saville. I love action painting and expressive work that builds texture as well as figurative and narrative work. I incorporate these forms into my style as I disconnect the painted image from the common experience and perception of the viewer to enable the creation of new figurations and experiences.

CCS: What are your specialty skills in the field(s) of work you are in? Why do you enjoy them the most?:

NCJ: As a painter I can paint in every medium and like to mix mediums when creating my work. I especially love to paint large scale works including murals in public spaces. I am also skilled in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and like to create digital collages that explore institutionalized lies, the emotional response, new forms of slavery, the tormented soul and the language of corrupted thought.

CCS: What are your personal goals now and in the future as an artist?:

NCJ: I want to continue to create work blurs the lines between the imposed disciplines of the art world such as painting, illustration, graffiti, and drawing to disrupt the concepts of what is considered high and low-brow art. My goal in the future is to be as prolific as possible creating sensational work that sparks interest and provokes thought in the viewers mind.

CCS: What are some of your most prestigious honors, awards, achievements and renown clients?:

NCJ: I co-curated and painted in the 21st Precinct art show in New York City during the summer of 2014 which was named the #1 New York art event in 2014 by Complex magazine. 60 artist took over a former police precinct and painted the entire building (4 floors) with murals and installations.



I created, designed and installed the art and installations for Hotel Hugo's new rooftop lounge "Azul" in Soho, New York April 2015 and I was The Spring Creative Coalitions Project Award winner for the Brooklyn Arts Council in May 2015. I was named the Gold winner in the painting category of Art Forward contest #3; Past and Present in October 2015. I spearheaded and curated an art district in Brownsville, Brooklyn called "Writing on the Walls" in the summer of 2015. I brought 15 international artist to paint murals and beautify the community.