Born in 1976 on an Air Force base in Homestead, FL, Jason Aponte grew up surrounded by both military tradition and creative influence. His grandmother, Iris, a clothing designer, sparked his early fascination with art, playing in her fashion studio in Miami Beach. He spent countless hours of his childhood filling sketchbooks—a practice he continues today. Jason earned a Bachelor’s degree in Illustration from Ringling School of Art and Design in 2002, graduating with high honors.
After honing his craft in Boston’s Vernon Street Studios while working as an ophthalmic technician, he returned to Miami in 2009. He is currently an artist-in-residence at the Bakehouse Art Complex, with numerous solo and group exhibitions across the U.S. His work has been recognized with a National Endowment for the Arts grant in 2016 and funding from the City of Miami Beach in 2021 to create new work for part of the year.
Jason’s art explores the tension between destruction and renewal, drawing inspiration from apocalyptic narratives and nature’s resilience. His paintings and drawings exist between dreams and reality, where collapse gives way to transformation. Through his work, he examines survival, adaptation, and the fragile balance between human impact and the natural world.
Hurricane Party
Water soluble oils on stretched canvas. 5.2ft x 4ft.
This painting, typical of my work, mixes moments of inverse realities and visually creates a sense of controlled chaos. In this painting, my family is enjoying a summer pool party in Miami but with overlaid imagery of hurricane aftermath. We are enjoying Jack Daniels and Puerto Rican food, all the while waters rise, forcing a woman to wade through with her food supplies and a man using his canoe to get to his home. In the past, our family has had to endure the catastrophic effects of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Our neighborhood was “ground zero” and we had to leave our home and rebuild. The takeaway is that life continues. This painting talks to the reality of living through chaos and coming out on the back end. There is hope. We can get through the most intense moments of humanity and come out in the end triumphant.
This painting talks to the reality of living through chaos and coming out on the back end. There is hope. We can get through the most intense moments of humanity and come out in the end triumphant.
