Bio/Resume

Jay Long was born in Houston, Texas in 1969. As an adolescent in the punk rock leftovers of the mid-eighties, Jay learned many things which would be of no use later in life, such as, how to remove a burr from a dull fit, how to detach the screen from a kitchen faucet for alternative applications, and how to hold a twelve-pack like a football instead of by the cardboard handle for a higher success rate during unfinanced liquor aquisitions. Later, armed with a G.E.D. and a number two pencil, and as an occasional respite from the high life, Jay enrolled in Austin Community College in pursuit of a degree in Art. One class short of completing the two year program, Jay relocated to Los Angeles, California to continue his "studies" at Otis Art Institute / Parsons School of Design (when it was still across the street from the lovely MacArthur Park). This led to a short and unglamorous career in film and television, creating props and painting background art. Gradual disenchantment led to a much needed hiatus in the Santa Cruz Mountains, on Monterey Bay. It was here, in a shack nestled in the redwoods, that Jay focussed on a more personal approach to his technique and visual vocabulary to serve as a foundation for a more autonomous career in Fine Art. As for life in the present, it's pleasantly simple. When not working in the garden with his wife Nicole, searching around junk stores, speculating on quantum mechanics, trying to play guitar like a gypsy, or voicing the political opinions of a disillusioned malcontent, Jay can be found diligently working at his home studio in Austin, Texas.

Selected Honors

2001 - Featured Artist - Art Fair on the Square - Madison Museum of Contemporary Art

2001 - Featured Artist - Port Clinton Art Festival - Highland Park, Illinois

2003 - Best of Painting - Austin Fine Arts Festival -Austin Art Alliance

2003 - Best of Show 2D - Austin Fine Arts Festival - Austin Art Alliance

2003 - Best of Painting - Bayou City Art Festival (downtown) - Art Colony Association

2004 - Award of Excellence - Illustration Annual - Communication Arts Magazine

2004 - Best of Painting - Austin Fine Arts Festival - Austin Art Alliance

2005 - Featured Artist - Bayou City Art Festival (downtown) - Art Colony Association

2006 - Best in Painting - Wells Street Art Festival - Chicago, Illinois

2007 - Best in Painting - Wells Street Art Festival - Chicago, Illinois

2008 - Award of Excellence - Illustration Annual - Communication Arts Magazine

2008 - Best of Show 2D - Art Fair on the Square - Madison Museum of Contemporary Art

2010 - Best of Show 2D Mixed-Media - Plaza Art Fair - Kansas City, Missouri

2011 - Best of Show 2D Mixed-Media - Art City Austin - Art Alliance Austin

2012 - Award of Excellence - Illustration Annual - Communication Arts Magazine

2012 - Best in Painting - Art City Austin - Art Alliance Austin

2013 - Best of Show- Kentuck Festival of the Arts - Kentuck Museum Association

2014 - Best of Show - Bayou City Arts Festival (Houston) - Art Colony Association

2015 - Contemporary Design Award - Fiesta Arts Fair - Southwest School of Art

2016 - Best of Show 2D Mixed-Media - The Woodlands Arts Festival - The Woodlands, Texas

2016 - Best in 2D Mixed-Media - Wells Street Art Festival - Chicago, Illinois

2017 - Award of Excellence - Illustration Annual - Communication Arts Magazine