Go, Jon Leaser, GO!
Artist Jonathan Leaser has built a career around paintings inspired by the popular ‘Speed Racer’ animated cartoon.
Jonathan Leaser is riding a wave fueled by nostalgia. The Crown Point artist’s paintings based on TV’s “Speed Racer” cartoons are selling like hotcakes with an eager crowd enthused by the vibrant colors and subject of Leaser’s works. “People freak out when they see my paintings because they’re so nostalgic,” Leaser says. His works, which can sell for more than $1,000, are now displayed in galleries throughout the country, and he’s participated in large art shows such as the Art Expo in New York City. Leaser works out of studio space in his apartment overlooking Crown Point’s downtown square and has mastered his technique so that he’s able to work faster and create more paintings. Leaser, 39, has been interested in art – and racing – since he was a teenager growing up in Merrillville. “I remember watching ‘Speed Racer’ at my girlfriend’s house when I was only 6,” he says. “This is a one-in-a-million shot, but I always knew it would happen someday.” After gaining approval from the entities that own the animated series, which debuted in the 1960s, Leaser viewed thousands of images from all the “Speed Racer” shows he could find and selected about 40 images that he uses in his acrylic paintings. Once interested in fashion illustration, his subjects aren’t limited to the cartoon racing champ and his driving machine. Leaser hopes to soon work with community art classes to encourage a new generation of art students. “I’m here to show people that you can make it as an artist,” he says. Story by Kari K. Ridge
Photo by Brian McCord
Attracting Star Power
Ornamental and Historic
Thanks for the Memories
Heeding the Call
Almanac
Artist Jonathan Leaser has built a career around paintings inspired by the popular ‘Speed Racer’ animated cartoon.
Jonathan Leaser is riding a wave fueled by nostalgia. The Crown Point artist’s paintings based on TV’s “Speed Racer” cartoons are selling like hotcakes with an eager crowd enthused by the vibrant colors and subject of Leaser’s works. “People freak out when they see my paintings because they’re so nostalgic,” Leaser says. His works, which can sell for more than $1,000, are now displayed in galleries throughout the country, and he’s participated in large art shows such as the Art Expo in New York City. Leaser works out of studio space in his apartment overlooking Crown Point’s downtown square and has mastered his technique so that he’s able to work faster and create more paintings. Leaser, 39, has been interested in art – and racing – since he was a teenager growing up in Merrillville. “I remember watching ‘Speed Racer’ at my girlfriend’s house when I was only 6,” he says. “This is a one-in-a-million shot, but I always knew it would happen someday.” After gaining approval from the entities that own the animated series, which debuted in the 1960s, Leaser viewed thousands of images from all the “Speed Racer” shows he could find and selected about 40 images that he uses in his acrylic paintings. Once interested in fashion illustration, his subjects aren’t limited to the cartoon racing champ and his driving machine. Leaser hopes to soon work with community art classes to encourage a new generation of art students. “I’m here to show people that you can make it as an artist,” he says. Story by Kari K. Ridge
Photo by Brian McCord
Additional Culture Articles
Attracting Star Power
Ornamental and Historic
Thanks for the Memories
Heeding the Call
Almanac