ARTIST'S STATEMENT

Jason “DrainedEye” Sanders is an Emerging Philadelphia Portrait Artist exploring spirituality,  purpose, and enlightenment with a visual short hand that serves to highlight transparency: the chaos and energy of the past pitted against the intention of the present moment. Jason explores self doubt, the inner struggle between light and darkness, and the conflict and balance of achieving a voice that can make a difference without losing the authenticity of that voice to the trap of ego. 

Jason finds inspiration in various artists who approach their work mindfully with the intention of improving the human condition.  His work is notable for the energy of the canvases and his dazzling bright color palette.

The complete gallery can be seen on instagram: @drainedeye.

ABOUT DRAINEDEYE

DrainedEye is an independently owned and operated artist gallery/brand.  The concept for DrainedEye was born in 2017.  The website took an additional 3 years to manifest.  

My name is Jason Sanders. Online I go by DrainedEye.  I'm an artist and apparently a late bloomer.  I was 40 years old before I started taking my dream of being a professional artist seriously.  I am self taught.  I've always been creative, but operated under the assumption that I had to apply my ability to other things in order to be successful. 

This outlook led me to trying lots of different jobs through my 20's and into my 30's.  None of them were especially creative, but I was paying bills and living independently.  I got married and had 2 daughters. 

But by 2009, I was experiencing a creative calling.  I started experimenting with videography and photography.  It became clear that it was possible to parlay my creativity into a career, which felt amazing!  But then I had a series of setbacks with my health.  Also I was beginning to feel stagnant artistically.  Coordinating output with multiple partners and compromising my artistic vision began weighing on me.

By 2016 I began to have the audacity to wonder, what would happen if I followed my own artistic vision?  The only problem was that I didn't quite have an artistic vision yet.  But the pull was so strong that I just began to create, visually.  It had been years and progress was frustratingly slow at first.  But with effort comes progress and eventually I found myself increasingly able and excited to execute artistic ideas the way that I had envisioned them.

It was like I was emerging from a cocoon.  My former life was gone.  I was divorced and now had time to pursue art as my passion.  Those following years of growth were tough, but rewarding.  I started introducing myself as an artist. My confidence was growing.  But the biggest gifts were yet to come!  Increased confidence and skill led to increased output and it seemed, at least looking back, that, suddenly, an artistic purpose revealed itself to me.  At last, I had my artistic vision!  I became aware of my power to connect people to their emotions.  I finally understood how important it was for me to be an artist and how I could contribute to a better world.  For more details about the values that inform my work, please see my Artist's Statement above.

Thank you for your interest in my work and for exploring DrainedEye.com.  I believe with great art comes great responsibility.  I take my work seriously, and I love it because it is fun!  Whether you are drawn to my more comedic and whimsical pieces, or my more personal and deeply spiritual works, the fact that you are here means we share a bond.  We understand that life is too short for boring walls, or boring clothes.  You and I know that an image has the power to heal, inspire, and change.  Thank you for your support and the love and energy you bring to the world.