Essay by Miu Vermillion

Jon Jaylo's paintings are visual riddles waiting to be solved. Just like enigmas, his paintings are composed of metaphorical elements. These visual riddles, however, are more complex than most riddles we know because they were composed to correspond to unlimited numbers of equally valid answers. An avid observer of life, he intertwines his personal musings with universal truths and concerns. With these, he imbues his works with multiple layers of meanings: His own ruminations, and each viewer's personal reactions and interpretations. To Jaylo, "Art in its purest form can move and inspire people, it nurtures and heals our souls. So, if you take his work "Embrace (When words are no longer needed)" as a dare to explore some mysteries in life, you would be right. The direct gaze of the young woman in the painting relentlessly challenges us to swap our personal perspectives with a more universal awareness, as well as to open our hearts and let its stream guide us to ideas, beliefs, and possibilities we've never considered before.

In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood. All is riddle, and the key to a riddle is another riddle." Often, these life lessons are delivered in the forms of painful and life-changing circumstances such as failures, losses, broken relationships, and various distressing incidents. As we grieve and try to overcome those situations, we can't help but ask: Why did it happen to me? Where did I go wrong? Did I miss the signs? What should I do now? Is it too late? Alas, some of those questions might forever be left unanswered.

Through his newest body of work, "All These Answers That May Never Come Our Way", Jon Jaylo expresses his belief that there are times when we have to accept things and move on, and that there is humility in accepting the fact that we can't find all the answers."

As anyone who is familiar with Jon Jaylo's works realize, there is a recurring pattern we cannot miss when we view his series of works: His emphasis in the value of the present moment. The winged clock on "A Conversation with Yesterday" and the flock of airborne clocks on "Ascension" remind us that time waits for no one. It is here for only a second then it flies away. We often take the present moment for granted because we think we will always have tomorrow. However, having lost his loved ones in the past, he is fully aware that once a moment has gone it can never be regained. "We are here only temporarily" said Jaylo; therefore, "we should try to make each day count before it's too late".

So, shall we open our hearts and set our minds free? Shall we look for answers without knowing where this quest is going to lead us? Let's not tarry because each second is slipping away; and, in this finite life, we do not have forever.

- Miu Vermillion
Writer for Beautiful Bizarre Magazine