The works of Ocean County artist Jason B are on display through the end of August at the Ocean County Library Jackson Branch. Jason has studied art for more than six years – and that’s fully half his life.

Reserved and unpretentious, this budding artist has let his imagination flow through his hands practically since he first held a crayon. As he recalled, blank paper allowed him freedom of expression.

“I just picked it up and thought, ‘Hmmm. This could be fun.’ And instantly, I developed a bond.”

With enthusiastic family support, Jason joined art clubs in Waretown, Barnegat and Manahawkin. He developed fondness for watercolors and found that the more he learned, the more he wanted to explore.

Jason began flexing his own imagination, turning random shapes drawn by his family into recognizable objects. He later taught himself to draw the human form. A Jason B. anime became a hot commodity among his friends. He created handmade copies – 15 in all.

His work was seen in an exhibit by Barnegat Recreation’s “Young Picasso” program in the OCL Barnegat Branch. As a first grader at his community’s Founders’ Day festivities, he captured Best in Show and first prize in his age group for a crayon rendering he titled “Cardinal in Winter.”

For all that, Jason places no emphasis on competition in art. He finds satisfaction in people relating to the art that emerges from his emotional core. It’s his own de-stressing mechanism. “I just go in my room and start to draw. It calms me right down.”

Entering middle school, the A-B Honor Roll student will balance classwork, extracurriculars, homework, cross-country running and time with friends while exploring a career in architecture, but art will still have a valued spot in his schedule.

“I haven’t done enough oils or pastels,” Jason remarked. “I want to do more of that.” He’s increasingly working from real life, bringing his own fertile imagination to what he sees.

Jason’s exhibit is free and open to the public during normal Branch operating hours. For more information, stop by the OCL Jackson Branch, 2 Jackson Drive, call (732) 928-4400, or visit the Library’s online Calendar of Events.