Jonas and Irene Hastings are an artist couple residing together in Massachusetts, with their two children since 2008. Jonas grew up in St. Louis, MO and Irene grew up in Newton, MA. They both obtained their B.F.A 's in Illustration from The Kansas City Art Institute where they met. Since then they have continued to work in traditional practices of drawing, while also working with digital methods as a means to integrate and facilitate family life and art life.
Drawing first by hand, they work in pieces and steps, at times generating multiple elements of a work separately before digitally combining it to create Limited Edition Fine Art Inkjet Prints or Silkscreens. At other times an idea or a piece will dictate its own finality as another medium such as painting. Strong color combinations are a signature throughout the work.
While their work is different they feed off of each others influence and have begun to work collaboratively as well; discussing the ideas and composition of each piece jointly, then each working on different parts of the process before silk screening the work together.
Jonas's work is expressive with a focus on line, texture and observable evidence of the human hand. He employs paint brushes, tooth brushes, and brayers to create naturalistic textures to embed digitally in his drawings. The subjects vary from nature and human nature, and at times take an imaginative approach.
Irene's work explores an intrigue with the beauty and complexity of our natural world. I relate my curiosity of human experience/emotion through nature. I spend time in nature, hiking, gathering inspiration. I sketch and draw and paint before creating an ink drawing which I then bring into the digital realm where the work is refined, colored, and finalized in a flat graphic aesthetic.