The short version
I found painting after I had already learned how to have a regular job.
I’m Jefrey Connor, a mixed-media artist in Fremont, California. I work mainly with acrylic, collage and ink, usually in the evenings and on weekends.
This is not the story of someone who always knew he would be an artist. Painting became a deliberate second practice: a place to work with uncertainty after days shaped by schedules, tasks and useful answers.
How the practice started
I drew when I was younger, stopped for a long time, and came back without a grand plan. The first setup was a small table, inexpensive paint and paper I was not afraid to ruin. That freedom mattered more than better equipment. I could make a bad piece, turn it over and try again.
Over time the table became a corner of a room, then a home studio crowded with panels, paper scraps and work waiting to dry. I still paint around a regular job. The limitation has become part of the method: short sessions during the week, larger changes on weekends, and plenty of notes to help me remember what I thought I was doing.
Materials and influence
My paintings combine acrylic color, torn or prepared paper, matte medium and black ink. I like surfaces that reveal revision. A paper edge, scraped passage or buried line lets the finished work remember the decisions underneath it.
The visual language comes from the East Bay: dry hills, salt ponds, BART lines, freeway structures, patched walls and sudden evening color. The paintings are abstract, but they are not detached from place. Most begin with something seen repeatedly on a commute or weekend walk.
Why keep a public journal?
A portfolio tends to remove the awkward middle. This blog keeps some of it. I write about technique, scheduling, local art and the practical side of making and selling work. The tone may be less polished than a gallery statement. That is intentional.
If you are making art around another life, I hope the entries feel useful. If you are considering a painting, I hope they show how the work is built and what I care about before it reaches the Available Work page.