Jason Horton was born in Brandon, Mississippi in 1974. His mother was a still life oil painter. His father was a cartoon illustrator. As an only child, Jason’s parents focused on nurturing his creative growth. By the time he was 10, he was winning awards for his art. He began college in Mississippi, but grew restless after a year and moved to New Orleans when he was 17. He was exposed to the culture, history and architecture that set his life on a new path.

New Orleans was the catalyst in bringing Jason’s creativity and authentic nature to the surface. Jason fell in with group performance artists in New Orleans and began designing costumes. After a year and a half, Jason was feeling cramped by the small community in New Orleans. In 1994, he moved to Atlanta. He felt refreshed by being in a young, thriving city. In Atlanta, Jason was known for his expertise with color from his costume design and got jobs as a colorist in a specialty salon then creating custom make-up for clients. At this time, Jason was having art parties at his loft and designing theme costumes and painting the walls to match the theme for that night. These mural-style images made their way to canvases and he began showing at avant-garde art parlors, independent studios and nightclubs in Atlanta. His images were reminiscent of French salon and New Orleans café nightlife. His painting evolved to performance art where he looked as if he had walked out of one of his paintings. During this time he was modeling for local designers, designing nightclubs, starring in plays, assisting with photo shoots, and was deeply involved in the creative avant-garde scene in Atlanta.

After a few years, Jason was ready to focus on one stable job in the arts and from his contacts in the performance art circles, started working with Deljou Art Group as a frame designer. Jason has since transitioned to painting and his innovative texture techniques were derived from his framing knowledge. His paintings are admired and collected throughout the states.