Artist Bio: Jack Eastgate

Jack Eastgate: artist bio

(Mr. Eastgate showed his artwork at the Feb. 27th, 2010 show, and helped raise $1,800 for Haiti relief)

I didn’t start living until I moved to America. I smile every time I think back at my first years, months, and even days when my “fresh off the blane” ready to experience life attitude naively wondered the streets of Oakland. I was 18, straight from a farm in the middle of a jungle on an island surrounded by hella warm water. That was seven years ago.

Oakland…buck wild, shady, sunny, beautiful crazy all at once. America on the other hand was the one that got me. Caught up in it all, the shine began to wear and I wandered without cause, my state of mind was unsatisfied, my spirit malnourished. I felt there was something missing and it bothered me.

Questioning everything, my fascination with the world grew. As I am as insignificant as a mustard seed in the whole scheme of things, I had the nerve to ask who was I and why did I exist? That’s when my being opened up to an environment seen only when still. A place where time becomes irrelevant, and every cell in your body reverberates in synchronization to the universe, and a place where they say angels gather to listen in bliss.

Like a Taurus, I dove headfirst into the infinite world of spirituality and found my self sitting with the Sufi’s and mystics of many traditions. It was amazing. My life and art changed, unintentionally giving me a better understanding of my shortcomings, but, most of all my strength- my humanness.

During this time I came to realize that a common factor, whether intentional or not, is often concealed, misinterpreted or simply confused. Everything is One, like a circle, a drum. All the different perspectives we have, have been shaped by each individual or collective reality- their language, geography, climate and culture. It still in its essence universal, and it is still collectively interpreted human. This is what I want to reflect. This is what inspires me.

Life is art is life. Inspired by life and the beauty that comes with struggles, Jack Eastgate, a bay area transplant from the Fiji Islands, has infused the elements of his present urban society with his multicultural roots, allowing him to articulate his personal and shared experiences. Jack is currently a senior pursuing a degree in Graphic design at Cal State University East Bay. Traditionally an illustrator, Jack has incorporated several mediums into his work including acrylic, spray paints, and collage.

Linkz:
http://jackeastgatestudios.com
http://jackeastgatestudios.com/livepaint.html
http://eastrandstudios.com