In 1971, Columbus College (now known as Columbus State University) was in search of qualified individuals to strengthen its art program. So, Jamie Boswell Howard, having graduated with a dual Masters of Art, and Art History, traveled to Columbus, Georgia to help achieve a balanced art department. This decision ended up being one of the biggest turning points for his career and the art program at Columbus State University.

By Seth Howard III with Ashleigh OqueÌ and Abraham Thacker

In my young age I spent many countless hours in the studio with my father. It was there I learned most of what has made me the person I am today. In addition to spending quality time with me, I watched him work every single day; countless hours were spent refining his processes and methods. You will not find a “bad” Jamie Howard piece, only varying degrees of good and he worked diligently to make it so. Despite all this hard work he still made the time to pick me up every day from school, talk to me about life, love, history, art, music, and how to live a full life. Around 1998 he stopped showing publicly but continued to work every day until he passed. I have made it my mission to share his unique, imaginative creations with the world. I believe in time his work will be seen as a treasure to the people of Columbus as most of it was created here. The following is an article written by me and two close friends about his time and work in Columbus.

Since 1971, Howard taught and inspired thousands of students, in addition to creating and curating dozens of art shows throughout the United States, South America, Europe, and Australia. At home in Columbus, Howard was affectionately regarded as a generous and compassionate teacher. Numerous students have recounted stories where, unable to afford their own art supplies Howard would give them his own, or privately donate money to purchase said supplies.

There is a carefree element to Howard’s work, one that is not hidebound by artistic conventions, past or present. The way to view Howard’s art is not contained within the parameters of simply going to a gallery and looking at art, even if it is art created by an artist one knows, or at least has heard of. For example, the most common way to appreciate art is to try to feel a connection with it, or to try to imagine what the artist may have been thinking or feeling while executing it.

However, there are many ways to view a piece of art created by Jamie Howard. Howard created a world, a world in which all things physical and metaphysical tie together and exist together. His imaginative stories and ideas were brought from his world to our world through the vessel of art. His primary objective was to get the viewer to find a semblance between the events of his or her life and the piece of art being viewed. He achieved this by exaggerating the nuances of his work, knowing that each viewer would find some common ground with the array of emotions his art exhibits. Although many artists rely on something that already exists in the world—something they have seen or experienced or felt—Howard’s work is supported by a framework of its own internal structure, a complete imaginative creation like no other.

Whether a newly introduced or seasoned follower of the art of Jamie Howard, you may not know that his art is, in fact, all tied together in a beautifully eloquent story told in his own novella, “The Day of the Wedding and Part of the Night Before.” Howard wrote this book about a wedding that takes place in an island town called Sommerville. In Sommerville, there live many an artist with different backgrounds and stories. A sculptor, a watercolorist, a painter, and a writer all abide in this town. They have different names, different lives, and different passions; but in truth, they were all Howard. It is thought that most of this ideal town was derived from his time spent during his childhood in Connecticut, but if one were to dive deeper, it shows that Sommerville is all of his favorite places compiled into one exquisite, bustling island, fit only for the imagination. We all have our Sommervilles, but Jamie Howard brought to life an idyllic seaside town in which all of his personalities and different art secrets live. He created a place for his mind to be free and for his talents to thrive without limits.

Columbus was not just where he lived but where he created a home. Columbus was a place where he created two worlds. One world where he was a loving, attentive, and giving father, husband, and; and the other world where he was limitless in his capabilities. He was the father of his creations, in both reality and in his rich imagination.

Jamie Howard was a creator. A creator of fantasies, of styles, of new ideas, and of his own world. Many artists have been studied over the years, but what he has created and left behind is truly like no other. Delicate in his creations and yet particular in his unique executions, Howard’s style set him apart from other artists of his time. He did not want to just be great at one medium of art, he wanted to master them all, and he created a story in which that was possible. Don’t we all just want to write our own stories?

To explore the world created in an artistic geniusmind, visit www.JamieHoward.art.

JAMIE HOWARD