Jas Szygiel
by Michele Malinchak
It’s the lighting in Jas Szygiel’s paintings that draws you in first. That’s because many of his landscapes depict that time of day known as the golden hour—early in the morning or near dusk when light takes on a glowing, magical quality. And though the scenes he paints are from the surrounding area, there is a universal theme to his work that has wide appeal.
One of his works entitled, Quiet Glen was purchased by a couple who had travelled to Iceland. The painting, with its luminous meandering stream and misty, open terrain reminded them of the landscape there. The inspiration for the work actually came from a scene in Bedminster, PA.
“A gallery owner once described my paintings as ‘stylized realism’,” he said. “They are representational images with a classical foundation infused with modern and experimental techniques. I’m always looking for that unique palette or technique that allows the imagery to dance between color, light and shadow.”
Jas, whose work has been shown in regional galleries for over 35 years, likes using unorthodox colors. He prefers painting on Masonite board, which he preps with a thin wash of turpentine and pigment. His style is to work thin with light brush strokes, building on each layer.
Born in 1956, Jas grew up in Levittown, PA where he attended Bishop Egan High School (now known as Conwell-Egan Catholic High School). His interests were sports, music and art. He excelled at hockey and was on the first traveling team to go outside of Bucks County.
Speaking about his parents who emigrated from Poland in 1950 he said, “They came here for a reason so their children could have better lives.” Jas, which in Polish means John, is the first to graduate college in his family and owes it all to his parents. His first name is pronounced ‘Yash’ and Szygiel is ‘She-gel’ with a hard ‘g’ as in artist Marc Chagall.
As a high school senior, he wanted to attend art school after graduating but needed guidance. Fortunately, his father knew of Ed Smith who was head of commercial art at Bucks County Technical High School in Fairless Hills. Ed helped Jas put together a portfolio and they worked on the project for nine months. The portfolio eventually helped him gain admission to the Hussian School of Art in Philadelphia.
To learn more about Jas Szygiel, turn to page 40 in the Winter 2014 issue of Bucks County Magazine