Jason Baker and I went to middle school, high school, and college together. I lived with him for a few months in Boston in 1998. He was the most talented painter and drawer I have ever been around. Jason was a good friend, and I know that he and I would have been friends in the years to come. One of the best memories of high school is mini-hoop at Ryan's with Brad, Derrick, Paul, Blanton, Flicker, Schaff, JP, Kev, and whoever else popped in. Another time at the Oregon Coast, he and I got stuck at the top of the sand dune at Pacific City and thought we were going to need a helicopter before we ended up making a giant leap to the sand below, and then with the downward momentum sprinted to the bottom of the hill. Also, one day in Boston we sat on a dock in the sun and talked about life and love. Soon after that he got engaged, and I was honored to be in his wedding. In my time around Jason, those days in Boston were the happiest I ever saw him. One night, we even saw the movie movie 'What Dreams May Come' and laughed afterwards because we both enjoyed it so much even though we knew it was so cheesey. He passed away in December of 2004. Jason made the world a better place. I will miss him.

Also, Jason's brother, Darren, started a blog on which he is posting an image a day of Jason's art work. This is a really great thing to check out. Here's the link: http://je-azul.blogspot.com/