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"#578 Haley," 2021, oil on canvas, 48 by 48 inches
#586 Hilda, 2022, sculpture, from a 1978 Honda cb750
Jared Minnick and his wife, Amy, didn’t plan to open an art gallery when they looked at buildings for their business, Minnick Surveying. They’re both surveyors who met through their work and soon combined forces to open their own company.
“She’s the business manager, the secretary, human resources department and accounting all rolled into one. She’s amazing," Jared says.
Jared Minnick in his garage studio at home, photo by Jared Minnick, taken on a time delay
“We saved our money to buy rather than continue to lease office space. We wanted a building to fix up and make our own. I had been getting into art. We decided if we could find a big building with some extra space maybe we could do something art-related.”
“In 2016, we found the building on Hampton that was perfect for us. It was cheap, and it was in bad shape, but we knew we could make it work.” Jared Minnick worked two and a half years, by himself, on weekends, to get the building in ready for business. In March 2019, they opened the gallery.
Boundary lines and art • Although Minnick’s business is all about boundaries, his art crosses boundaries. “I drew when I was a child, and at different points in my life, I would get into art. I used pens and pencils in my early 20s. I tried painting, but I was much too critical of myself so I didn't do anything for quite a while.”
Life, work, starting a business, marriage and buying a house, all got in the mix for him. In 2012, Minnick wanted some art on the walls of his new house, so he painted again, for fun, and it took.
"#504 Planet 9," oil on canvas, 48 inches by 96 inches
“I did five paintings. It started out as something fun to do and then something happened in 2014, and I became obsessed with art. Two things about my paintings are true today as they were then — I study art to get better, and I am always trying new things,” he says.
Reference points • In Minnick’s world, inspiration can come at any moment, and as the artist, he stays open to the moment. As a right brain engineering type, he documents the ideas that come his way to follow — or not — as he wishes.
“I'm open to everything that’s available and nothing's off-limits. I tried to hold that as my main mission as just painting, but I’ll also do what moves me in art. I’ve studied the Old Masters, and different periods — there isn’t anything that I'm not attracted to. I'm just not concerned with style; I care about what looks good to me,” he says.
"#336 Lucia 4," 2020, oil on canvas, 40-by-55 inches
Detective magazine covers, fashion, tech magazines, cars, machines — Minnick records it all. “I’ll see a cool design onscreen, and I’ll take a screenshot of it. I’m like a sponge — ready to absorb anything I see that might be cool,” he says. “I saw an ad for hockey equipment where the equipment was the leather brown and baby blue. I liked how those two colors looked together, so I painted it. If I wake up and want to paint six yellow paintings, I do it.”
Rock the gallery • Music is another passion for Minnick, one that feeds into his art and creativity as well. The mix will be on display at the Oct. 15 opening, from 3 to 9 p.m., of the Fourth Annual Punk Rock show.
“I collect vinyl records. It’s always been a dream of mine to help out a band put out a record and play it throughout the gallery,” he says. The first record he produced features the music of the Bent Duo, which will be one of four bands playing during the Punk Rock Show.
"#518 Hr," 2021, a portrait of the former lead singer of the Bad Brains, a hard core punk rock band
"I remember asking if they had a physical release, a record. They had had some songs like on Spotify, which most bands do, but it was all digital,” he says. Minnick stepped into a new role. “And it was just like my art and the gallery, not knowing what to do, and just like that, we gave it a shot, tried to learn as much as we could, and just did it.”
Prism poles • The Minnicks successfully mapped the territory of Jared’s art and their life together with 31art. They found the shapes and contours of arts that speak to ordinary people. The opened the street to art.
“My one mission was to make everyone feel comfortable. Some galleries and museums, it can be a little intimidating. I've been in galleries where I felt like they didn’t want me there,” he says.
“31art is a different. Anybody that walks in ... I want them to feel good. People even come back with their friends. They’ve found something here.”
Jared Minnick Art and 31art gallery
Family • Jared and Amy Minnick live with two Dobermans, Agent 99 and Moneypenny.
What he makes • Minnick creates paintings, sculptures and installations. He primarily uses oil paints in his two-dimensional work. “Sometimes with a little bit of house paint,” he says. For his sculptures, Minnick often starts with a found or thrifted objects “My three-dimensional pieces are really all over the place. I’ll use spray paint, paint and marker pens, house paint, oils — anything that looks good.”
Where to buy • Minnick sells his work at his 31art gallery on Hampton Avenue and at 31artgallery.com.
How much • Minnick’s art ranges from $131 to $3,131
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"#578 Haley," 2021, oil on canvas, 48 by 48 inches
"#504 Planet 9," oil on canvas, 48 inches by 96 inches
"#518 Hr," 2021, a portrait of the former lead singer of the Bad Brains, a hard core punk rock band
"#336 Lucia 4," 2020, oil on canvas, 40-by-55 inches
#586 Hilda, 2022, sculpture, from a 1978 Honda cb750
Jared Minnick in his garage studio at home, photo by Jared Minnick, taken on a time delay
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