portrait project

Andy McCrory

Artists In Jackson: Andy McCrory

“I’m making Jackson better, one tattoo at a time.”

It’s just that simple for Andy McCrory, owner and tattoo artist at Ye Old Skull Tattoo in downtown Jackson.

For one, he sees himself as a classical tattoo artist, preferring traditional American motifs and style. And second, Andy feels like tattoo repair work could keep in business in perpetuity.

“I see so many tattoos in need of rescue,” he says.

It was his first tattoo, at age 14, that got Andy started down this path. He remembers getting a small cross by a questionable character in a trailer, using a contraption that was the scariest thing he ever saw.

“I got in trouble for that when I got home,” Andy says.

That night, a teenage Andy went home and figured there’s got to be a better way. He built a tattoo machine there on the spot.

From there, he worked at Underground Ink in Michigan Center for a few years and opened up his own shop on the corner of Morrell St. and Brown St. soon afterward. Then he found the downtown location, on Mechanic St., and has run Ye Old Skull Tattoo there ever since.

No bones about it: When done right, Andy sees tattoos as an art form. 

“My customers are allowing me to put my art on them,” Andy says. “That’s flattering. It’s like putting my name on their arm.”

His style comes from a background in graphic arts and screen printing, combined with comic books, horror movies, and dark art.

“If I got to do what I want to do, it’d be skulls and crossbones for everybody,” Andy says.

If you want an opinion about tattoos and come-lately tattoo artists, Andy will readily volunteer a few. He calls tribal tattoos a “waste of black ink and real estate.” He doesn’t cater to trends, like dolphins and (lately) watercolors. And he doesn’t think just anybody with a few art skills should be doing tattoos. 

“You can draw anything on paper, but skin is not paper,” Andy says. “Everyone thinks they can do it with a machine from the pawn shop. It’s a slap in the face of us guys who have been doing it forever.”

Andy doesn’t just do tattoos. He’s what you call a creative busybody. Like when he took up painting, just to try it. Or when he sings in a band. Or tackles rebuilding his ’51 DeSoto Spartan Coupe and ’94 Harley-Davidson FXR.

“I don’t sleep much. I need a lot of hobbies,” he says. “I have excessive creative energy.”

Jackson is a good town for all that artistry, Andy says. There is plenty of opportunity, and it’s easy for someone to find their niche. 

“Say what you will about this town – I’ve made a pretty good living,” he says. “Not many artists really make money on art. No one buys it until they’re dead. Tattoos aren’t like that.”

Buy the Artists In Jackson book | Ye Old Skull Tattoo

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Jason Felde

Artists In Jackson: Jason Felde

“It feels good to have my stuff out there, and get the reaction. And even the not-okay reactions feel good.”

Jason Felde owes a big “thanks” to his wife, Stephenie.

So does the art community in Jackson. If it wasn’t for her, we may have never discovered Jason’s creative work. 

The story goes that Jason never publicly displayed his work outside of small shows or at school. Then Stephenie stumbled on Jason’s portfolio, hidden away in a closet, and did what any good, enterprising wife would do: she started showing the portfolio around.

“It was one of those things where I had the support of my family, but no one took that extra step of pushing me farther,” Jason says. “I don’t think anyone wanted to kick me in the butt a little bit harder. So that’s where she came into play. And it’s been a snowball effect from there.”

The work garnered a positive response, and things started to happen for him. A show here, a call from Doug Jones there, and before he knew it — and after some more prodding — Jason was a public artist.

Jason’s artistic side was there from the beginning, he said, from scribbling in notebooks on road trips to art classes in high school. Now, his work draws on many styles and techniques, including painting (acrylics and watercolors), inking, and sculpting. 

Since Stephenie “discovered” him, he’s attended eight to ten shows, and he’s often approached for more. 

“It feels good to have my stuff out there and get the reaction,” Jason says. “And even the not-okay reactions feel good.”

Jason also works on commission pieces. One of his first was a pencil sketch of a friend’s grandfather. After seeing the piece, his friend’s mom sent him a thank you note.

“It was really cool to know that my work can touch people in that way,” he says. 

Jason’s work touches people in need, too, like the cancer fundraising organization Twist Out Cancer. The organization pairs artists with cancer patients to create art based on their stories, with all proceeds going to cancer research.

Closer to home, Jason says Jackson’s creative community is very supportive of its home-grown artists.

“I have yet to come across an artist in Jackson that isn’t willing to promote you,” he says. “Or they’ll buy a piece.”

Visually, Jackson offers a lot of inspiration with its varied landscapes, quiet spots at the parks, and history. As an artist, there are lots of ways to draw inspiration.

“To be able to go somewhere like that to relax and create is amazing. I think Jackson is visually stunning,” Jason says. 

Jason is working to get more of his work out in the world. He’s participating in more shows, trying different techniques, and exploring other artistic subjects. 

Right behind him, Jason’s wife Stephenie is working, too.

“She has no problem volunteering me for art shows and projects,” Jason says.

“I’m just excited that he actually wants to show his work,” Stephenie says. 

Buy the Artists In Jackson book | Jason Felde on Instagram

 

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Colleen Peterson

Artists In Jackson: Colleen Peterson

Art, like life, can get messy. 

That’s precisely what painter and mixed media artist Colleen Peterson loves about it. Besides being a creative outlet, getting creative is great stress relief.

“It doesn’t matter what I make, as long as I get my hands dirty,” she says.

It often starts with a blank canvas, which – for Colleen – is a scary place to start. Random bits of inspiration help her to get started: feelings, requests from customers, random items she finds. 

Like the time she got creative with her boyfriend’s homemade beer bottle labels. Or the time she took a broken coffee pot and turned it into a piece. 

“I didn’t realize I had a style until someone told me,” Colleen says. “They said, ‘You do have a style. You’re messy!’ My acrylics are really wet and all over the place, and I’m always covered in paint.”

Colleen dabbled with art in high school and liked it. She made comics, and even thought about fashion design and interior design as outlets. It was The Singularity that put her paintings in her first show. 

“All I had was random stuff I made,” Colleen says. “I enjoyed it, so I just did it.”

Some of the emotions behind her pieces are messy, too, like the first time she ever sold one of her works. It was heartbreak that helped her make it.

And heartbreak that came after she sold it.

“I didn’t want to sell it,” she says. “I cried.”

Now, Colleen works mainly with custom pieces and requests, like the wedding centerpiece she worked on while we talked. Often, all she needs is a bit of direction to un-blank that canvas.

“One person I just had, she really likes peacock feathers, and she wanted purples,” she says. “So I made her something really cool that’s probably one of my favorites I’ve made in a while. And she was really stoked. It felt good.”

Colleen is big on customers being able to afford her art. She wants more people to come to Jackson art shows, too, and to help spread awareness about the arts community in town.

“There’s always people saying ‘There’s nothing to do,’ but all these other people are working really hard to put on a show,” she says. “It’s one of the most frustrating things to me. Support your community!”

She loves seeing the art community come together and seeing her fellow artists develop their talent. 

“There’s a lot of people that complain about our town, and then there are people making it beautiful.”

Buy the Artists In Jackson book

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Jake Perry

Artists In Jackson: Jake Perry

“Art is the communication of feelings. If what you’re doing isn’t evoking a feeling, then what you did is arguably not art.”

Jake Perry says it was God’s plan all along that he’d end up where he is now: a videographer for Radiant Church, on Spring Arbor Rd.

He gets to live a creative life, both at work and on personal projects. His work at Radiant fulfills his need to accomplish something for a greater purpose. And his personal projects fulfill him creatively.

“I have this mix of purely creative stuff that may or may not see the light of day, but at least I can be creative for creativity’s sake. And then for this job, I get to be creative and have it make a difference,” Jake says. “So having those two together is pretty sweet.”

Jake’s work at Radiant started because a friend of his got a job at Radiant Church in Kalamazoo and suggested he apply for the videographer position. Jake didn’t get the job, but he did meet the future pastor of the Radiant Church, Mike Popenhagen, who was headed to Jackson. Now, he’s Mike’s assistant, helping promote the church, shooting video announcements, and taking photos of events.

“I get to see the smallest things I do matter to people,” Jake says.

For side projects, Jake helps as a director of photography for Cinema Grove, working on short films and documentaries. 

The way Jake sees it, artists are merely a prism through which they interpret God’s will.

“Creative people are more sensitive to communicating with what’s already there and unlocking it,” he says. “Art is the communication of feelings. If what you’re doing isn’t evoking a feeling, then what you did is arguably not art.”

To communicate those feelings, Jake likes working with the basics of image-making.

“I love light, period,” he says. “Being a cinematographer, it’s important for your whole life to be light and shadow.”

Taking inspiration from music, architecture, and photography, Jake pictures himself as a storyteller and uses the stories around him to express himself creatively. It starts with people.

And people, he says, are what make Jackson’s creative community so special. They’re not competitive, and they’re willing to learn and grow together.

“It’s a community that’s not a bunch of sharks with blood in the water,” Jake says. 

But Jackson tends to view creative work in a skewed way.

“Jackson is a place that doesn’t value creativity as much as it should, even though it’s ripe with it. And that’s sad,” he says. 

Jake stays in Jackson because he feels like God has a plan for him here, and that Jackson may not be done with him just yet. He learned that when he tried to get a job out of the community. 

Jackson, as it does so often with others, pulled him back. That’s when he learned to trust God’s plan for him.

“As soon as I did, things made sense and started to fall into place.”

Buy the Artists In Jackson book | Jake Perry on YouTube

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Audra Lockwood

Artists In Jackson: Audra Lockwood

“My favorite thing to hear is people laughing. As long as people are feeling something, then I’m doing something right. My work is quirky and a little bit out there.”

Here’s an idea: take an old landscape painting. You know the kind – one is probably hanging over your grandparents’ mantle right now.

Now grab that bland landscape painting, and add the fantastic. A monster, a UFO, a mystical creature. 

Better, right?

That’s what Audra Lockwood thought, too, when she saw a simple seaside landscape and thought, “What if I put a mermaid there?” She’s developed a fan base for her revamped paintings (as she calls them) and reaches a particular market for her work at comic book conventions and art shows. 

She doesn’t need much to get started.

“I’ll see a piece, an ugly old landscape, and that alone tells me, ‘This needs a crazy old dude in it,’” Audra says.

Audra and her husband, Cody, were into the geek community and often went to conventions. After seeing the artists who were regulars at cons, she thought her unique landscape creations would find an audience.

“And I did, thank the gods. It’s been amazing,” she says.

Now the duo travels all over the Midwest and all over the country, selling art and meeting artists at the shows. They started local, and as they met other creatives, their travel range broadened. 

“It’s a great community of people,” Audra says. “We’re like little art gypsies, hooking each other up with great shows and great info. We scratch each other’s back.”

And it all started with that mermaid. Or, more particularly, grabbing vintage landscapes at thrift stores as an affordable way to grab a gorgeous frame. That’s when she saw the waterscape.

Audra has that first revamped painting hanging in her stairwell, the seaside spark that launched her niche. Several years ago, she saw that old surf scene, and figured a mermaid would make the whole thing better. 

“It’s like 11 years old. I’ve been hooked ever since,” she says. “And I thought, ‘What a great time saver.’ It’s framed and ready to hang. You can’t go wrong. Then, everywhere I went, I imagined what it was supposed to be.”

The raw materials are old landscapes and lithographs, plus Audra’s own sci-fi and horror movie imagination. She researches landscape artists, many of whom were from the 1960s, and Googles the creator to make sure she’s not painting over a masterpiece.

“It’s like my collaboration with an artist I’ve never met before,” she says. 

While she finds success all over through the convention scene, Audra and Cody stick around Jackson because of the affordable living, its central location, and because their friends and family are still here.

Audra sees the Jackson art community as a close-knit group and credits The Singularity for helping her reach out to a local audience. 

“It’s a young community. Jackson is a blue-collar city, and I feel like a lot of 30-somethings are reaching out for something cool and unique,” she says. “They’re at that age where they’re starting to buy art, and they have homes. I think all these weirdos that are coming together are doing something good.”

She finds resistance from local art buyers, however.
 
“Some of the art shows aren’t ready for what I’m doing. Maybe what I do is a little too strange,” Audra says. “But what I go to shows in Ferndale, it’s full of weirdos like me. And we’re all incredibly successful. There are so many people like me here.”

“It kind of blows my mind that I can do what I do, and I can be successful at it. So that gives me hope.”

Buy the Artists In Jackson book | Audra Olivia’s Attic

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Artists In Jackson, the Magazine

Artists In Jackson, the Magazine

Today, on Small Business Saturday, I’m launching part three of Artists In Jackson – the Magazine edition: 96 big, full-color pages, soft-bound and larger than the hardcover edition, and at an affordable price of only $35.

And here’s a deal: use the code CREATIVE40 until Dec. 1 at checkout for 40% off the price. Get yours at artistsinjackson.com/book.

Hardcovers are also still available! Use the code art517 for $9 off the price.

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Ashley Smith

Artists In Jackson: Ashley Smith

“Communities need art, so we have to be there. We can’t kill each other off.”

Back when people used to print their photographs, they were kept in albums and hung on walls – a way to remember moments and events through snapshots.

It’s still that way for photographer Ashley Smith. For her, every photo is a memory.

“Every little snapshot reminds me of something,” she says. “It reminds me of the music playing that day, or something we did earlier. It helps me remember and relive my life. It’s a sensory thing.”

And while many people don’t really look at what they’re photographing, Ashley tries to take it all in. The whole scene is important, not just what she sees through the camera’s viewfinder.

That outlook started when Ashley was young. Her dad handed her a Pentax 35mm film camera early on and taught her about exposure and light.

“He was always the designated family photographer,” she says.

When she was starting, Ashley took close-ups of piano keys and flowers. She was making memories.

Now, Ashley helps make memories for others, too. She does a bit of family and wedding portrait work, although she has slowed down on the family photography business because she sees a glut of photographers in the market. To set herself apart, she’s taking on commercial clients, like Allegiance Health, for public relations and advertising campaigns.

“That’s pretty fulfilling. I enjoy doing that,” Ashley says.

Along the way, Ashley had to learn about things like posing subjects and using artificial light to get the look her clients needed. With her commercial shoots, she feels more like a director.

However, learning new techniques is something Ashley embraces, like when she became a graphic designer for her aunt’s newspaper in Stockbridge, or the Jackson Citizen Patriot. From there, she worked at Ray Printing but has recently switched careers to run promotions for McKibben Media Group. She’s a true Jackson native.

“There’s a lot of great stuff to do here, and a lot yet to be done,” Ashley says. “And I want to be part of that. Jackson is my forever home.”

She embraces the collaborative and sharing artistic community in Jackson, especially among photographers. She also works on shoots with local photographer Seth Duimstra and swaps techniques.

“It seems like we have a lot of camaraderie that you don’t find in other places,” Ashley says. “It can be pretty cutthroat out there in the world. But in Jackson, if anybody asks for a photographer, we help each other out and recommend each other. That’s really nice.”

“Communities need art, so we have to be there. We can’t kill each other off.”

Buy the Artists In Jackson book

 

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Andrew Hall

Artists In Jackson: Andrew Hall

“I don’t want to be a ‘company.’ I want to be underground.”

If you see a random painting tucked away in a downtown Jackson alley, chances are Andrew Hall made it. 

It’s one of the ways Andrew gets his graphic paintings out in the world: he’ll drop one somewhere in town with a note on it. If someone finds it (and they do), all he asks is that they support him.

“I lay the guilt on thick.”

Andrew takes his guerrilla marketing inspiration from Michigan music artists of the ’90s. Underground shows and swapping CDs were some of the few ways Michigan hip-hop artists could get their name out in the market.

So Andrew takes his paintings – Captain Jackson, comic scenes, graphic gorillas – and hides them around town.

“Not everyone is the next Andy Warhol. I’ll be who I’m going to be, and I think that’s the way to achieve it,” Andrew says. “I like putting in the effort in the shadows.”

His work is certainly attention-getting. Andrew uses Liquitex heavy-body acrylic paint and canvas to make his art, and the colors pop like a mix of pop art and comic books.

“I thickly coat stuff to get very bright colors into blocks and shapes,” he says. “I want it to look as close to something that was printed as possible. I’m definitely getting there.”

He draws inspiration from comic artists like Frank Miller and David Aja and the screen print work that his dad used to do. For technique, Andrew is totally self-taught. 

“I figured it out my own way,” he says. “I didn’t want help. I can learn quicker if you give me the tools and let me do my own thing.”

He learned his guerrilla marketing techniques on his own, too, trying out different strategies, like Etsy stores and Instagram. He also works with Medical Panda, designing pins, shirts, and posters. 

The word is starting to spread in Jackson, too, with Andrew getting into shows and collaborating with other creatives in town. The key, he says, is to keep things fresh.

“There’s only so many people in Jackson. And not everyone is going to want to buy your stuff every time,” Andrew says. “If your core audience is Jackson, you do well by having your stuff change frequently.”

Collaboration is one of the strengths of Jackson’s artistic community. Everyone is willing to work together, he says, and promote other artists’ work.

And for Andrew, competition takes on a different meaning in town.

“I’m not a competitive person, but I see other artists as competing to be awesome,” he says. “Just to see their drive, it’s a good thing to apply.” 

Andrew says he makes art to please himself first. But it is a great feeling when he finds an audience. 

“I like to please people,” he says. “I don’t want everyone to like it, but someone would love it.”

“If my son likes it, I know it’s sweet.”

Buy the Artists In Jackson book | OddSoul517

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Justine Melville

Artists In Jackson: Justine Melville

“Any way I can express myself, I’ll do that.”

Justine Melville enjoys the process of making: the experimentation, the trying out new ideas, the techniques. Learning something new.

And having something to show for it is a great side benefit.

“Putting the energy into my work – dying fabric, taking the color out, ice dying – there’s a lot to it,” she says. “The process is a good focus for me. It helps calm me. And I really enjoy the product I get.”

It’s easy to get lost in the work. That’s the fun part.

“We’re so busy these days and expected to pay attention to so much that it doesn’t matter. It’s nice to zone out,” Justine says.

As a fabric artist, Justine has found a new way to express herself creatively. She discovered dying fabric after a boyfriend taught her how to screen print. 

All it took was trying to tie dye with a mixed berry print.

“Ever since, I’ve been kind of addicted.”

Justine has always been creative, using many media to express herself. She’s tried printmaking and dabbles in photography.

“Any way I can express myself, I’ll do that,” she says. “I felt like, for the longest time, I was a little lost with my creativity. I’ve always bounced around.” 

Now that she’s settled on fabric, Justine has found success participating in exhibits, from booth shows to warehouse shows to gallery shows. She has an Etsy store and promotes her work on social media. 

The creative community in Jackson has also helped, and Justine has become increasingly involved with other artists in town. She traces much of that collaboration to The Singularity, which introduced her to other open-minded creative types.

“It showed me what can really happen in this town,” Justine says. “We’re very supportive of each other, which is the biggest thing in my eyes.”

She thinks Jackson could better support artistic pursuits and be more open-minded about the kinds of art that are possible in town. She also thinks Jackson could use more community-oriented spaces for artists to work on projects and collaborate. 

As someone who has lived in Chicago and returned, Justine doesn’t understand pessimism about her hometown.

“Some people think this town is a black hole. I don’t see that. I think they’re the black hole,” she says. “There’s a lot of people who get out and come back and still enjoy it. This is a nice place to call home.”

Buy the Artists In Jackson book | Mercurial Threads

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David Flack

Artists In Jackson: David Flack

“It’s a good outlet for depression. I’ve always been able to show myself something solid and tell myself, ‘You’re not a bad person. Look at what you can do.’”

It’s funny how life lessons can go awry – like the summer that David Flack’s parents had him work in the shop at the family business, SALCO Engineering.

They figured two summers on the shop floor would make David hit the books and not want to come back. 

“The exact opposite happened,” David says. “I fell in love with getting dirty.”

And while the guys on the floor would never call themselves “artists,” David absorbed their craftsmanship and resourcefulness. They taught him how to weld. Now he makes metal objects big and small, and he traces that back to growing up in the shop.

“It’s captivated me since I was a little kid,” he says. “I’d watch these monsters eat metal and spit out these amazing things.”

Amazing things. That’s what he wanted to do. David wanted to be around creation.

After graduating from Albion College in 2009, David started working with his father at SALCO, updating the technology at the shop and taking on design work and estimates.

Then he hooked up with a collaborator, Kyle Huntoon, and started building art pieces- Kyle took on the woodworking, and David handled the steel. They put their reclaimed art in festivals and art shows, traveled the country, and made a good business. 

“Kyle opened my eyes to the idea of being a reclaimed artist – of taking junk and bringing it back to life,” David says.

While the pair have amicably parted ways, David took that spirit of junk-to-art and developed his own style. Grand River Brewery had him make their tap handles, and the City of Jackson commissioned him to make bike racks around downtown. 

David enjoys making furniture, too, but he’d like to try more large-scale sculptural work in the future.

“I like driving down the street and being able to say, ‘I made that,’” he says.

It’s the making David enjoys, coming from a part of his Midwestern upbringing. He stays on with the family business to preserve the craftsman culture.

“It’s in the Midwest, it’s in our blood,” David says. “We come from this line of people who pull themselves up. After all the auto industry changes, we still have hopes and dreams, and all the knowledge and work ethic is still there.”

Steel is great because it’s a very forgiving material but with limitations. That’s where David finds creativity comes in handy – taking something with an inherent shape gives you pre-defined parameters. The parts of the whole shape his artistic pieces.

“You have to let it come together as organically as possible,” David says.

Much like Jackson. David has seen the artistic community come into its own in recent years, and he’s happy to see it. Enough of the low expectations and lack of pride.

“It’s nice to be a part of the scene where people are going for it and not sitting on their hands,” David says. “I want to try to motivate this city to make it a better place.”

“I want to be visible.”

Buy the Artists In Jackson book | dFlack Craftwork

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