In every house he's ever lived, Jason Garrett ('23) has hung a scenic painting of a large oak tree facing a horizon that his father -- Gary Garrett ('74) -- created 50 years ago.

"It's a scene I would see every once in a while," Gary says. "My parents retired to a little place down in Kaufman County, and it's a sunset I would see when leaving. It's a family memory."

"The tree in this painting is probably the single most influential piece of art for me my entire life," Jason says. "I have an obsession with trees; I feel a lot of kinship."

Serving as a representation of a family bound by art, this symbolic painting has made its way from Jason's childhood home to his college apartment, then his house in Austin while attending blacksmithing school and now to his home in Massachusetts.

After graduating from the College of Visual Arts and Design in 2023 with a studio art degree with a sculpture concentration, Jason moved to New England and started making props for his theater business -- Ghostlight Stage Design -- he's operating with his two best buddies.

Meanwhile, Gary -- who graduated in graphic design from CVAD in 1974 -- remains a North Texas resident and recently retired from a successful career designing and directing projects for companies like Electronic Data Systems (EDS), Fidelity and Xerox.

Similar in spirit, Gary and Jason share many qualities, but are distinct artists in their own ways.

Natural Talents

Having an artistic father meant being an artist has always been an option for Jason. For Gary, things were different growing up in Celina during the 1960s with his construction worker father and seamstress mother.

Gifted with a natural talent, Gary started sketching early on, and his skills were solidified after winning a mail-in comic strip competition.

In high school, Gary moved to Carrollton, where he would eventually commute from -- once he convinced his parents to let him expand his capabilities and enroll in art school at UNT. But it wasn't without the cost of joining the same union as his father.

Two days a week, Gary worked in construction and spent Tuesday nights in a lengthy apprentice program course. The other three days of the work week, he drove to Denton for his art classes.

"On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I'd have people threatening to cut my ponytail off," Gary says. "Monday, Wednesday and Friday, everybody I went to school with had that ponytail."

When it was North Texas State University, the art building at UNT was a tiny, two-story building busting at the seams without enough room for the booming department. Nothing compared to the modern, state-of-the-art building Jason enjoyed.

Enrolling a year after its opening in 2018, Jason spent most of his time on campus in the current CVAD building. Gary had the chance to visit in 2023 when Jason opened his senior art gallery -- Whimsies and Wastelands -- in the Union.

"That was a dream come true," Jason says. "I always try to revive that childlike sense of whimsy and imagination that we lose our grasp on as we get older."

During his son's exhibition grand opening, Gary pulled a "Banksy" and sneakily installed an artwork featuring Jason's childhood skateboard and Converse into the center of the gallery.

"I put those items away knowing someday I would need them," Gary says. "I made a little sculpture and even made a little plaque to put on the wall to make it look like he'd done it."

Frippery, Frivolity and Fairbanks

Inspired by 1980s and early 1990s pop culture -- namely by Jim Henson and his films like Labyrinth and others like The NeverEnding Story -- Jason creates sculptures and titles this work "Frippery and Frivolity."

"I have generalized anxiety, as well as bipolar disorder, that both greatly impact my life," Jason says. "Producing escapist art, in a lot of ways, is a balm to that part of my life."

"The process of producing the art, and seeing its effect on people, gives me purpose," he adds. "I'm here artistically to make the world nicer, kinder, funnier -- you know, more whimsical."

Originally going to college for theater straight after high school, Jason remains involved in the industry with his business but transferred to attend blacksmithing school and started raising his own branch of the family tree before coming to UNT.

While Jason found his footing, Gary was knee-deep in his career -- and in snow.

As a staff member for EDS in 2001, Gary spent a week on an expedition north of Fairbanks, Alaska, in a cave exploring permafrost fossils and creating sketches for The JASON Project (no relation), an ongoing educational program created in 1989 to explore the seafloor.

"There were mastodon bones in the walls next to saber-tooth tiger teeth," says Gary. "I did sketches and kept a notebook, and when we got back, I did an artist's rendering of the tunnel."

Stay Creative

They may be physically apart more now than ever, but the Garretts bond will never be broken.

Both bibliophiles, Jason likes to catch up with his father as they discuss their most recent reads. For his wedding, Gary helped the groom paint flowers made from recycled book pages.

"My dad is very meticulous," Jason says. "After about an hour, I looked to the right -- I was covered in paint, right now I'm covered in paint -- and his workstation was completely immaculate."

Learning from his father, Jason influences his children with creativity every chance he gets. Throughout his career, Gary dedicated years to volunteering with students across DFW and believes in the importance of inspiring kids to never lose their imagination.

"If you ask a first-grade class, 'Who's an artist?' nearly every kid will raise their hand," Gary says. "The older people get, they become less identified with creativity. You have to keep your creative side, no matter what."