After his stroke, Sarkin was gripped by an overwhelming artistic drive. And since that fateful day, he has not stopped compulsively producing artwork. Creating paintings, collages, and sculptural works that are inspired by the likes of Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol, Sarkin blends cutout images, painting, words, and song lyrics to create mesmerizing and often mysterious pieces. Sarkin has become not only a medical sensation who appeared on ABC’s Medical Mysteries but also a commercial success: Tom Cruise has bought the rights to his life story, and some of his pieces command prices in the tens of thousands of dollars.

It goes on to describe the finished piece as classic Jon Sarkin: it’s covered with colorful loose strokes, cutout faces, and words that evolve for the viewer after multiple visits. Culled from places in his mind even he cannot explain, the mural’s words and images include a version of the Jack Kerouac quote, “Fame is like old papers blowing down main street,” and a painted-over picture of iconic rocker Van Morrison. Some things are better left unexplained, and Sarkin’s newest work is no exception.

Watching Sarkin work was as incredible as the painting. Imagery would be there one day and gone the next. Jon would often grab an employee and discuss ideas for how to best portray inspiration, or hope, or the future. How those conversations influenced him, I’m not sure. But he seems to embrace stimuli from everywhere.

Once during the project, when the painting had changed dramatically from the previous day, I asked Jon how he knew when the work was done. “It’s done next Tuesday,” he told me. “You’ve given me a deadline. So that’s when it’s finished.”

Leads me to believe a Jon Sarkin painting is never finished. You, the viewer, have to complete it in your own mind.

Jon Sarkin painting a mural for Mullen at 40 Broad

The Rolling Stones rendition of Tumbling Dice plays constantly this week in the Mullen Boston cafe.  It’s inspiration for artist-in-residence Jon Sarkin who’s here creating an original piece of frenetic genius to enliven the new space.  Mullen CD Jim Amadeo gave Sarkin our one word tagline – “unbound” – as a creative brief,  to which the artist replied,  “do you know what you’re getting into?”  Sarkin’s Mullen project is profiled in The Boston Herald. His story of how a stroke caused him to discover his true gift was chronicled in The Boston Globe. Tom Cruise has screen rights for a movie about Jon.

You can watch Sarkin’s unbound Mullen piece develop on video or see it in pictures.