Jason Raish’s hyperrealist illustrations have attracted the best of the best, with his long client list including publications like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post, as well as brands like Nike, Facebook (Singapore), and even the Smithsonian.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Raish came with his family to the U.S. at the age of 3. After being raised in the forests of upstate New York, he studied fine arts for two years at SUNY Albany, then one year abroad at Yonsei University in Seoul South Korea, and then started over at the Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.) in NYC, receiving a 4-year bachelors in Illustration.
His career would take him on further adventures around the world. After 7 years in NYC, he made a big leap in 2008 and moved to Beijing just before the Olympics, not knowing when or if he’d be back. It turned into a 6-year adventure living in Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, Barcelona, London, and Paris, all while freelancing with old and new clients from around the world. Now back in NYC, he resides in Park Slope Brooklyn, where he can be found drawing at his desk.
“It’s been a slow struggle that’s slowly paid off,” said Raish, describing his career path in an interview with Working Not Working Magazine, “and I don’t know if there’s really one turning point. It’s just been putting in the work, pushing myself, and not settling on good enough.”
“I want to keep pushing myself to think of better concepts and not over render everything, which is hard because my brain just wants to render stuff,” he added. “I want to create a body of personal work that has more soul and meaning involving themes about identity issues, which for me include being adopted, being Asian in America, and growing up in a small rural western New York State town. That’s a whole lotta turmoil right there.”
Follow his creative journey, wherever it takes him, via Instagram:
