Prizer Arts & Letters

Thank you to everyone who stopped by Jonathan Paul Jackson’s show this past weekend. And, thank you to Jonathan for sharing his work and for all he brought to Smithville during his residency!

Jonathan be at Prizer (212 Main St, Smithvile) now through Friday. DM him if you’d like to stop by and see his work before he leaves! We will miss you, Jonathan!

Jonathan Paul Jackson’s residency show opens today, Saturday, June 13th!

Stop by anytime between 2pm to 9pm to meet him and see work he created during his time at Prizer.

Much gratitude to Jonathan Paul Jackson for leading another great paper making workshop this past weekend! It was fascinating to see how Jonathan creates the thick paper canvases that he uses for many of his paintings. Participants also creaated their own paper canvases, too. Thank you, Jonathan, for sharing your artwork and skills with us!

A reminder that the artwork Jonathan created during his residency will be up for viewing this Saturday, June 13th at 212 Main St, Smithville, TX! Stop by anytime from 2pm to 9pm to meet Jonathan, see his work and hear music he also created at the residency.

NOTE: We have extended the hours for Jonathan Jackson’s opening on June 13th to give people more time to visit with him and see his work.

Join us next Saturday, June 13th, from 2pm to 9pm at 212 Main in Smithville for the opening of Jonathan Paul Jackson’s artist residency show.

This event is free and open to all. Come meet the artist, enjoy food and drink and see work he’s created while the artist-in-residence at Prizer.

About the artist: Born in 1984, Jonathan Paul Jackson grew up in remote far West Texas before moving to Houston, where he continues to reside. From a young age, Jackson developed a deep love and passion for nature which continues to impact his art making practice. While Jackson has some formal art education and served as a studio assistant to several prominent Houston based artists in his formative years, he is largely self-taught, holding a high regard for experimentation. Jackson continues his work with nature-inspired imagery on non-traditional surfaces, drawing inspiration from the renowned Houston artist Jesse Lott (1943-2023), who utilized found materials for the basis of his artistic practice. Jackson has been and continues to be deeply inspired by nature; his scope is broad—from flowers seen on walks in his east side, Houston neighborhood to the geological forces that shaped our planet billions of years ago. Recently, Jackson has been developing a method of recycling paper, making paper so thick (up to one half inch) it becomes suggestive of walls, frescoes, or archeological remains. This paper varies in color, texture, and thickness, as bits of colored paper remain fully visible in the final painting. Through the process of recycling, Jackson takes his place amongst environmentally conscious artists, mindful of how their studio practices impact the environment. His arcadian imagery flutters somewhere between optimism and sorrow; optimism that even during times of great distress that nature can be a source of renewal, and sorrow for the animals negatively impacted by modern human’s ideas of progress.

Much gratitude to Jonathan Jackson for leading the first of three paper making workshops in Smithville last weekend. Thank you, Jonathan, for sharing your skills as well as the environmental ethos behind this paper making practice.

More than a craft, for Jonathan, paper making invites reflection on renewal and environmental consciousness. Through each pulped fragment, Jackson connects material reuse with emotional and ecological awareness — a practice where the act of creation becomes an act of care. His imagery, often drawing from nature, dwells in the space between optimism and sorrow: optimism for the resilience of the natural world, and sorrow for the damage wrought by human notions of progress.

We look forward to the next two workshops! These classes are currently full, but if you would like to add your name to the waiting list, please DM us.

Making Paper, Making Meaning — with Jonathan Jackson

Prizer, 212 Main St, Smithville, TX

This free worship is offered three separate times - May 24th, May 31st & June 7th from 1pm to 3pm. Space is limited to six people per time - please DM to reserve your spot & let us know which date you’d like to attend.

Join artist Jonathan Jackson in a hands-on workshop exploring the art of papermaking through recycling. Using everyday discarded paper, water, and a blender, participants will learn Jackson’s unique approach to transforming scraps into richly textured sheets of handmade paper — sometimes up to 4 inch thick. These tactile surfaces evoke the feel of walls, frescoes, or archaeological remnants, carrying forward traces of their past lives in flecks of color and texture.
More than a craft, this workshop invites reflection on renewal and environmental consciousness. Through each pulped fragment, Jackson connects material reuse with emotional and ecological awareness — a practice where the act of creation becomes an act of care. His imagery, often drawing from nature, dwells in the space between optimism and sorrow: optimism for the resilience of the natural world, and sorrow for the damage wrought by human notions of progress.

Participants will leave with their own handmade sheets of paper — layered, imperfect, and alive with history — as well as a deeper appreciation for the possibilities of reuse in artmaking.

We had a great visit this week with Prizer’s artist-in-residence, . Thank you, JJ, for talking with us about your practice as an artist and for showing us some of your works in progress.

We are excited about his upcoming May workshops with Smithville area teens and about his show at the end of his residency in June - dates and info coming soon!