On a cold winter night in 1979 an accidental explosion in the backyard of a Burlington, ON residence nearly killed a young boy. As the blast threw the lad to the ground he instinctively raised his hands to his face and covered his eyes, shielding them from the flames and the heat. It was a move that would protect the boy’s future as an accomplished visual artist. 

Forty years later, Jason Bouwman is now the principal and creative director of Compass Creative Studio, a brand design consultancy based in Southern Ontario. He has been creating effective visual communications for over 30 years, beginning his career as an illustrator and graphic designer while still enrolled in Sheridan College’s Technical illustration program. 

Over the years, he has helped many organizations and businesses express their mission & vision and develop their brands' identities. His personal philosophy to “live artfully” sits at the heart of Compass Creative.

Jason's art has been used by the Royal Canadian Mint. Commissions from the Mint have included designs for both circulation and non-circulation coins.

It is landscape painting, however, that remains his biggest passion. His landscape paintings are typically completed "en plein air" meaning on location in the open air. His work is included in private and corporate collections, both locally and abroad. He has shown his art in several galleries, including the McMichael Art Gallery in Kleinburg, ON, home to one of the largest collections of paintings from the Group of Seven.

Jason is currently working on a large body of work exploring the deserts of the American Southwest for all their beauty and mystery as well as a metaphor for challenging and disorienting seasons of life.

My favourite medium to work in is oil. The thicker and slower drying oils give me more time to thoughtfully lay down the strokes and allow for a greater variation of edges and texture. My sketches begin on paper or on my ipad using a drawing app called Procreate. My finished pieces are a mix of Plein Air studies (painted directly from observation, outdoors and on location) and studio paintings composed using the help of studies and reference photos. My studio paintings are often more conceptual. I often work on multiple pieces at a time and can sit with an idea for a painting for many months (even years) before committing to translate the idea to canvas.