omaha artist jj carroll takes a head shot at ming toy gallery
The opening reception for JJ Carroll’s “Head Shot” is Friday, June 6, at Ming Toy Gallery. It also kicks off the gallery’s 10th anniversary celebration.
by Tim McMahan
Who remembers KaBlam!, the animated series that aired on Nickelodeon in the late '90s? The program showcased a variety of animators whose work was presented like a cartoon comic book, hosted by two adorable characters named Henry and June.
"They were supposed to be based on Henry Miller and his wife, June," says artist J.J. Carroll. "But no kid would have known that, which I thought was funny."
As an animator, Carroll brought Henry and June to life via storyboarding, key framing, "in-betweening" and sound editing, among other chores. And though animating KaBlam! and other Nickelodeon creations only comprised five years of his career, it's hard not to see the spirit of those projects reflected in Carroll's one-man show at Ming Toy Gallery, titled Head Shot.
Described as "toy-centric, with a few landscapes," Carroll said Head Shot refers both to the toy drawings included in the show and the Boston hardcore music he listened to during the creation process, from such bands as Slapshot and Sheer Terror.
Being an animator wasn't in Carroll's sights when he attended Parsons School of Design in the early '90s. A graduate of Westside High School, Parsons was suggested to Carroll by Omaha interior designer David Rice. During a college fair at the Kansas City Art Institute, Carroll was interviewed by Parsons admissions director Tim Gunn (of Project Runway fame) and was offered an institutional scholarship.
"All the instructors were working artists," Carroll said of Parsons, "so you got a little bit of everything, from professional practices to painting and a lot of drawing."
With his dream of being an illustrator, Carroll said he learned quickly that illustrating wouldn't pay the bills. In addition to work as a nanny, he picked up freelance illustration jobs from Village Voice and W Magazine, among others.
After earning a BFA with an emphasis in illustration from Parsons in 1994, Carroll landed the Nickelodeon gig along with other freelance animation and illustration assignments. But after 10 years of New York hustle, Carroll moved to a suburb of Boston and began to learn an emerging animation software called Flash. He also landed his first framing job.
By 2004 at the age of 32, Carroll returned to Omaha and applied his illustration skills to a canvas that measured just 122 by 140… pixels. As an animator at Massively Mobile, he built pixilated backgrounds for games like Caddyshack and Hip Hop Immortals designed to be played on early flip phones. A steady corporate framing job eventually led to Carroll opening his own framing shop in Benson in 2012, CHOICE, which continues to thrive today.
Over the years, Carroll has continued producing fine art, collage and illustrations, participating in exhibitions in New York City, overseas and in Omaha.
Head Shot is his first show in six years and holds the distinction of celebrating the 10th anniversary of Ming Toy Gallery. It runs through June 28. Regular gallery hours are Wednesday and Friday from 1:00 to 6:00pm, Thursday from 5:00 to 8:00pm, Saturday from 10:00am to 1:00pm and by appointment (call or text 402.681.1901).