Today we’d like to introduce you to AJ Rojas.
AJ, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Growing up and spending all my childhood and young adult years in Beaumont, Texas. I can only remember a few times creating any type of art. My mother died when I was in 5th grade, and from that moment on I not only lost the main person in my life who I went to for comfort and inspiration, but that event also caused me to lose my imagination, creativity, and ambition to do well in school. Her death along with my dad working all the time and being different from the majority of people in my neighborhood forced me to grow up fast. These circumstances, paired with the culture at which I grew up in, shaped my perspective on life and caused me to have more of an introvert personality throughout my school years. It wasn’t until I graduated from high school that I slowly began to break out of my shell.
At the age of 21, I decided to leave Beaumont for Austin, Texas. Soon after the move, I met my best friend and wife Dana working takeout at Outback Steakhouse. Dana graduated from The University of Texas in 2003, and after that, we decided to relocate to Dallas near her hometown of Plano, Texas. It was in Dallas where my wife became a banker, and I worked installation and repair for Dish Network and Verizon. After spending a few years in Dallas, we came to the conclusion that we both wanted to be back in Austin. So we did what we had to do and made the move back to our hometown. We bought our first home and got married in 2008.
In 2010 after being laid off from my job at AT&T, I decided to further my education at Austin Community College. It was there that I finally found a piece of myself that I had lost from my childhood. I spent the next two years making subs and going to school. In 2012 I received my Associates Degree in aAutomotive Technology. And we welcomed our daughter Alison to the world as well! After working for Toyota and Lexus as an Automotive Technician for around four years, I got fired for speaking up to management about the morale of the shop. This was devastating at the time because I had never been fired from a job before. I had always been a hard worker and never missed a day of work, and it somewhat blindsided me. Looking back though it was a blessing in disguise. During this time my wife and I had decided to purchase 6 acres of land in Salado, Texas to build a larger home on to fit our growing family. Shortly after I left Lexus, we were in the process of our home being built, and we received the news that we were expecting twin boys. Definitely blindsided by that as well! So in May of 2017, our home was finished, and we made the move. Then a few weeks later in June the twins Jack and Andre arrived. After my wife’s maternity leave, we decided that I would stay at home, watch the boys, and fix cars from time to time in the garage. During the first year of their life and our first year in our new home is when I discovered a lot more about myself and when I began to notice the hidden beauties that encompass the entire 6 acres of land that we now own!
Throughout my entire life, I’ve always felt like I was supposed to do more but missed out because of the circumstances of my childhood. But what I have come to learn over the past year is that all of this happened for a reason and this is where I am supposed to be right now. And the art that I have discovered had been waiting for me to find it. I truly believe that if each and every one of these events hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t be creating this art and I wouldn’t be the man, husband, father, and brother I am today.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Ok so here is the scoop!
After we moved into our new home, I started to get familiar with our property, and I began to notice our entire lot was covered in limestone rock of all shapes and sizes. At this time I began to brainstorm what I could do with all of these rocks. Most people pay and have them hauled off, but that wasn’t really an option for us. So I decided to line my driveway with some of them and began moving the rest to the back of my property to be out of sight and out of mind. Then one day, in April 2018 while looking for stepping stones for my mother-in-law, I started to notice that all of the limestone rocks on my property had their own unique shapes, features, and characteristics. It was at this moment that I also began noticing that some of the rocks resembled things that we see in our everyday lives — things like animals, boats, cars, faces, and mountains to name a few. On a whim, I decided to paint one of the rocks that resembled a raven. A few weeks after painting the raven I decided to turn the rock on its side. It was then that my brother noticed a rhinoceros in the painting. After bringing this to my attention, I realized I had painted the rhinoceros by complete accident. It was at this moment that I started to understand the real power of my rocks. So I started painting every rock I could find that I could relate to something familiar. And here I am almost a year later, and I have created over 200 different pieces of art from my limestone rock. Also as of late, I have begun to test my talents on canvas. While my style transfers over quite well from the rocks to the canvas, there are subtle differences that occur due to the characteristics of the rocks. I would say my artistic style falls into the categories of abstract expressionism and surrealism.
I like to describe what I am doing with the limestone as RockofAJs Imaginative Rock Art. I define it as; “using your imagination to see familiar images out of the shapes and textures of pieces of the exposed limestone bedrock, that has naturally weathered and eroded over time. And bringing those images to life with color and context.” In order for my imagination to take center stage, I never sculpt or shape the rocks to fit an image. The image is pulled from the depths of creativity by either myself or someone else without manipulating the rock from its present form. Once I find an image I prep the rock and begin to paint. The final images are either figurative and very recognizable, completely abstract or somewhere in between. One of the most lovely features about my art is that no matter what I see and paint, it is possible for the viewer to see something completely different yet just as important.
The idea for my art is rooted in the psychological phenomenon known as Pareidolia. Pareidolia is defined as the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern. An example of this is an activity we all have participated in. We would use our imagination and stare up at the clouds and find images that were made out of the shape of the clouds. We all do this as children and sometimes as adults; however, as we get older, we seem to lose that childhood imagination. But it is always in there and it never actually goes away. For me, what brought it back was the unforeseen circumstance that once we moved to Salado, I would become a stay at home dad for my twins. Being around my kids every day and constantly seeing the rocks that encompass my property, allowed me to tap into my childhood imagination and use it in a way that has changed my life.
Once I came to terms with what I was creating, I began researching the art world looking for artists past and present who I could compare my art to. To my surprise, the search results were few and far between. However, along the way, I came across a French Postman by the name of Ferdinand Cheval (1836-1924). Who spent 30 years of his life building Le Palais Ideal (the “Ideal Palace”) in southeastern France. It is reported that Cheval tripped over a stone one day that had such a strange shape that he kept it to admire. The next day he went back to the same spot and found even more beautiful stones. And over the course of 30 years, he gathered the unique stones and built his Ideal Palace. Cheval stated that the sandstone shaped by water which has been hardened by the power of time becomes hard as pebbles and It represents a sculpture so strange that it is impossible for man to imitate, it represents any kind of animal, any kind of caricature. Cheval had seen the beauty in the stones unique shapes and characteristics long before I came around; however, our inspiration to create came from the same place!
Over the course of my artistic journey I have realized that even though I can only remember a few times in my life sketching or drawing images on paper, I have an undeniable talent that gives me the ability to see and paint colors in a way that can turn something ordinary into extraordinary. I have been able to turn a material that most people haul off and give away into amazing pieces of art that will live on forever in their current form. The message or inspiration I would like to pass on to others through my art would be, to never give up on your dreams and to never overlook the beauty in the randomness of nature. Even when you think nothing is there, take a moment to look a little closer. I like to put it like this; “Dream big, think big, and let your imagination run wild.”
How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
As an artist, I personally believe that success is based on whether or not the art serves its purpose in capturing and holding the audience’s attention. Every piece I finish I ask myself, is this piece of art intriguing enough to grab your attention and hold it while you question yourself about the art? If the answer is yes, then my art has fulfilled its purpose because once you question yourself about the art, you have now allowed the art to do its job. Success is measured by the quality and effort the artist invests in creating. When an artist puts the effort into creating quality pieces of art that are able to engage the viewer on a personal level, success will come naturally. Also, more important than the art itself, the integrity of an artist must never be compromised. An artist must always be true to themselves, true to the art, and true to the people who view their art. As long as the art and the artist hold true to these values, the success you are looking for will be right around the corner.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
You can find my work on my website www.rockofajs.com and on Instagram and Twitter under the tag @rockofajs_art. I can also be found on the Facebook page RockofAJs. As of right now, I have a few pieces listed for purchase on my website. Also, if you see something you like that isn’t listed for sale on my website you can email me and purchase it (if it is still available) or I can create a special piece just for you. Just give me a few ideas about what you are looking for, and I’m sure I can find it in my rock garden!
Recently I have been submitting my art to galleries and exhibitions in order for people to be able to see and experience my art first hand. It is one thing to see a photo of my art, but the experience is so much greater with the art directly in front of you. So if you are interested in the RockofAJs experience but want to see my art in person first, follow me on social media, and I will update you as soon as this happens!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rockofajs.com
- Email: artevolution@rockofajs.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rockofajs_art/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RockofAJs/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rockofajs_art
Image Credit:
AJ Rojas
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