Artist who draws 'terrible portraits' vows to never improve
‘In this digital age of AI art, I think what I offer is an incredibly human experience,' says Jacob Ryan Reno
Jacob Ryan Reno's portraits are absolutely atrocious. But that's the whole point.
"I am, indeed, a terrible portraitist," the Chicago artist told As It Happens guest host Rebecca Zandbergen. "I have no intention of getting better. Actually, I intend to get worse, to be honest with you."
Reno — a stand-up comedian, actor and performance artist — has built up a sizeable clientele in recent months for his self-described "terrible portraits," which he draws in five minutes for $5 US a pop at parties, weddings and his local farmer's market.
According to a recent profile in the Washington Post, people at the weekend market in Chicago's Logan Square can often be seen lining up for a Reno original.
"I'm a big believer in art everywhere," Reno said. "In this digital age of AI art, I think what I offer is an incredibly human experience."
Drawn with love
Reno's career as a portrait artist began, as so many terrible things do, at a house party in college.
"A friend of mine saw some pen and paper and she was like, 'Hey, we should draw each other.' And so we do, and she put five minutes on the clock," Reno said.
"She turns hers around for me and it's, like, pretty good. And then I turned mine around for her, and she was visibly upset."
When he came across photos of that night recently, he found himself thinking: "There's something there."
So he set up a table at the market.
"I kind of see this as just an extension of performance art," Reno said. "I play jazz music. I usually put, like, flowers on the table, really try to make it classy, just so it feels like a luxury to be drawn."
The portraits, while perhaps not as flattering as something you'd get from an artist on the cobblestone streets of Paris, are also nothing like the cartoonish and exaggerated works of a caricature artist.
For Reno, there's no mockery intended. His portraits may be drawn badly, but they're drawn with love.
"I'm trying so hard on every single one," he said. "I put a lot of care and a lot of thought into this work."
He remembers, on his second week, a shy looking 10-year-old boy approached him with a $5 bill from his dad.
He warned the kid the portrait wouldn't look good. Still, as Reno sketched, he noticed the boy appeared nervous.
"I'm like, oh my goodness, I am going to hurt this kid's feelings?" he said. "And I turn it around, and we just laugh. We just laughed for like two and a half minutes. And that, to me, was really kind of like the signifier of like, OK, this is pure. This is like something good."
For Reno, the project is as much about the people as it is the product.
"I love meeting new people. I love talking to strangers. It's really just fun to kind of get to know my community," he said. "I've learned so much about where to eat, where to drink, where to dance."
He still sets up at the market, but has also since expanded to private events. He's done weddings, and he says he's really hoping to work a bar mitzvah or a quinceañera
But no matter how much his terrible portraits take off, he says he'll keep them accessible to everyone.
"I'll never raise my prices for the public. I never will, I promise," he said. "You have it here first, CBC."
Produced by Cassie Argao
