The ZAAP Gallery selects Jay Hayes as July’s ‘Featured Artist of the Month’

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The Zanesville Appalachian Arts Project Gallery has selected Jay Hayes as July’s ‘Featured Artist of the Month.’

Jay Hayes grew up in and lives in the home of Howard Chandler Christy and told us his inspiration stemmed from Christy’s painting. Hayes said he has been drawing for the last 40 years and in 2012 he struck an interest in learning color and began painting.

"I wanted to learn color so a good friend of mine asked me to come over and paint with him so I did. As I painted about 45 pictures I laid them all out for this show and noticed I was painting a lot of people mainly performers of music and things of water, said Hayes. "What I’m trying to do is really learn how color can move us so that’s what oil paintings has done to me."

When we asked Hayes how it felt to be selected as ‘Artist of the Month’ he had this to say,

"Very unworthy I’m just a guy trying to learn painting but, there are so many good artist here I feel a little intimidated showing my stuff. I feel like I am going to be under heavy critique. But saying that I think there’s art in all of us and I think we should all be expressing ourselves," said Hayes.

Hayes’s artwork will be on display Friday July 1st at the ZAAP Gallery from 5 p.m to 8 p.m.