Meet John Jansky

Today we’d like to introduce you to John Jansky.

Hi John, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am considered a Speed Painter. I started this journey as a speed painter purely by accident. Many years ago, I made a bet with a friend online. I lost the bet and as a result, he asked me to film myself admitting I was wrong. So, I put a piece of plastic on the wall and proceeded to paint someone very quickly. I filmed it and my son’s wonderful and supportive third-grade teacher Lisa watched it. She called a local news channel and the host invited me to do it live on his morning show. This started it all. If Lisa had not made that call, I don’t know that I would have ever continued to do this. In the beginning it was never a goal. People asked me to do it. Lisa is the fire started so to speak.

I had no idea what a “speed painter” was nor did I understand the interest it would soon generate. As a self-taught artist, I would exclaim that I could draw so much better if I took my time. That however, was not what people wanted to see from me. They wanted to be entertained. So, I happily obliged. I mixed my love of magic, music and art into one performance routine. I went on the morning show and at that time had the host think of one of the 45 Presidents. I told him I would read his mind and soon reveal his thought in a painting that would take less than five minutes. They all giggled but I delivered. The rest was history.

Through the years one event had always led to another. I was invited to decorate a children’s room at a local Festival of Trees with a group of friends. They introduced me to the manager Peter Blackmon of Portal Entertainment. He was pivotal in placing me in front of more people locally at various small local shows. People who liked me or what I did continued to put me in front of other audiences. It slowly started to grow. My goal was not only to impress but to have you like it so much you would return to see it again with a friend. I would find myself being invited to benefits as entertainment but also a bridge for donations to the events I performed. I have painted solo, with a mentalism routine and also on stage with bands playing. I have done arenas, festivals, half-time shows, benefits, concerts, and conventions. I have met some of my favorite musicians like Gene Simmons of Kiss and Lisa Marie Presley because of my paintings. I have performed for acting legends like Dick Van Dyke (for his 90th birthday celebration in Malibu). Many events have included sport icons like Pete Rose, several Chicago Cubs players, Professional football players and basketball players. What I do is limitless and I can adapt to any situation or theme. I have even performed at a wedding and had done a gender reveal video.

It literally started by requests and has blossomed into something bigger than I had ever expected. It has been a great ride of fun and support.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My journey as a performer started late in life. It started when I was 40. It has not always been a smooth road. I learned several things as I progressed. I had been diagnosed with extreme anxiety many years ago and had been through therapy. Performing has helped me to understand that not everything is controllable. But you will get through it. I learned to relax more by bumping up against the uncomfortable feeling of an unpredictable live performance as often as I could. This taught me that no matter what happened, it was going to be ok. When you are out there onstage, you put yourself out there to be judged. No one likes to be judged. You fear the unknown. You fear the negative reactions. I learned to be myself. Those who like what I do support me. Those who do not, do not stop the wonderful things that have been made available to me. Haters do not stop the good that happens. Anything negative about a performance is a learning performance. It helps you become better. I applied that thinking in performance, in my everyday work life as well as my personal life. It was a hidden treasure of a lesson that I learned by getting out there and taking it one step at a time. I figured it out as I progressed.

The other difficult thing was deciding whether to do this part-time or full-time. At times my family felt I chose my art over them because I am compulsive and submerge myself in work. Of course, my family is first but my art, my love of creating and entertaining is also part of who I am. We had to compromise some things. I decided I did not want to be a traveling father who was gone all the time. A great act doesn’t change its act, it changes its audience. Constant traveling would put myself in front of new crowds however, it placed hardships on my relationship with my children and my wife Patti. So many people wanted something and there wasn’t enough time in the day to do it all. At times they felt I chose my art before them. I had to balance it. I would soon only pick and choose a select number of events to perform and keep a work life balance that we are all happy with. It also helped to create and maintain a value to my work.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am known as a speed painter. I paint recognizable people fast, live, to music in 5-8 minutes. There are several things that sets me apart from other speed painters. Denny Dent is the original speed painter that I would most often compare myself. I did not necessarily want to emulate but evolve from. He and almost all others speed painters paint on a black background. Mine starts out usually with a white canvas. It is challenging using the black paint as well as the other colors because the black can mix with the bold bright colors. Because I paint it differently, the look of my finished product is unique and readily identifiable as a Jansky. I am also the first to incorporate a mentalism routine with speed painting. This makes it limitless and interactive with an audience. This personalizes my performance. I have experimented with using a guitar on fire for a portion of the performance (when applicable). I also draw in other mediums. I was told that in order to be limitless, you have to be limited. Therefore, I challenged myself to create art with items like sugar, chocolate syrup, blood (special FX blood), chips, cookies, chicken sauce etc. I am also a trained tattoo artist.

The evolution of my dream is to ultimately turn into an act that is described as Bob Ross, David Copperfield and Kiss mixed together. My consistent pursuit of getting that wow out of the audience and my energetic personality sets me apart. I try to add originality in the delivery and finished product. I thoroughly enjoy talking with guests before or after performances just as much as the performances themselves.

What I am most proud of through my art? I was able to meet three huge influences simply because of my art.

I was invited to paint for Dick Van Dyke at his 90th birthday event. His wife Arlene and mutual friends Scott and Lisa Land all set it all up after watching a video on Facebook that a little girl filmed at a local show. The Van Dykes are legends and were remarkable. This was an incredibly rare opportunity that I am forever grateful. Just thinking about when Dick Van Dyke was singing “send in the clowns” during my performance from the crowd still gives me goosebumps. His voice vibrated the room (and the hair on my head). It was easy to see why he was a titan on stage. I was also able to meet one of my favorite rock musicians. The theatrical rock and roll hall of fame group Kiss have been my rock heroes since I was 7 years old. I painted Gene Simmon’s mother who passed away. A mutual friend of mine and of Eric Singer (the drummer of Kiss) helped connect the dots. A friend named Zack showed Eric and told him my story. Eric arranged an opportunity to meet with Gene and present the painting to him. They felt after seeing the painting that Gene would love it. They were right.

Gene had no idea what he was about to receive when we met. His reaction was priceless. My hero loved it. He was genuinely touched and appreciated it. He hugged me, teared up and I felt like I accomplished something good. I was on cloud nine. You couldn’t wipe that smile off my face for a million bucks.

Another jaw-dropping moment was a bit of a tragedy. Elvis Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie Presley unfortunately lost her son Benjamin Storm to suicide. I seen a photograph online of a fan who met Ben on Beale Street while in Memphis. The photo was from 2017. The stories of Ben being kind and generous with his time were inspirational. I thought this one special photo for some reason would make a great painting. It was like this one photo was calling me. I made it, posted it and months later Lisa’s personal assistant contacted me. She wrote in an email that Lisa thought the painting was stunning and would love to have it. My jaw hit the floor. It took months to coordinate a meeting. My only request was that I wanted to be the one to put it in her hands. I am not mailing it. Lisa generously agreed to our deal. Lisa was the daughter of the King of Rock and Roll Elvis and she was married to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. I couldn’t believe I was not only meeting her but it was because she really liked the painting. She extended the compliment that it was one thing to make a painting look like someone, it was another to catch their spirit. She said she felt the painting captured Ben’s spirit.

Lisa shared stories with me about Ben. I was so touched and grateful. As someone who entertains, you want your work to create some kind of emotional reaction. Funny, anxiousness, joy, something. But this time my artwork also connected on a personal level. Two people I thought very highly of at a moment of pain appreciated my gift. That hits you differently. It wasn’t about me. Money. Clout. It was the moment we shared as humans. I am eternally grateful for their time and generosity.

I never expected any of those great experiences. Money cannot buy that, it only comes from being genuine. I am grateful for this and look forward to many more great encounters in the future.

How do you define success?
Being able to have the freedom to do what really makes you happy and your loved ones are happy too.

Contact Info:

• Email: Janskydraws@gmail.com
• Website: Www.JohnJANSKY.com
• Instagram: @johnjansky
• Facebook: @johnjanskyart