Former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted will have his paintings on display at Micaëla Gallery in San Francisco, CA from May 4th to June 27th.

Newsted's 70 x 70 in. acrylic, ink, and dry pastel on canvas titled Absenthe is pictured at left.

Micaëla Gallery is located at 49 Geary Street, No. 234. Call 415-551-8118 or visit Micaela.com.

A statement from Jason reads as follows:

"I am possessed by an undercurrent of kinetic energy that I have channeled through pure artistic creation for as long as I can remember, beginning with childhood drawings and songs, followed by teenage rock and roll based ideas, and ultimately, internationally recognized musical recordings and live performances.

With the title of most decorated heavy metal bass guitarist of all time intact, my purpose has shifted from making crazy and colorful music, to making crazy and colorful paintings.

I remain as disciplined, self-motivated, and dedicated to my art, as I have been. It is time for me to climb the next mountain, retaining purity by way of genuine expression in creating art as my quest."

The official press release:

Jason Newsted achieved worldwide recognition as bass guitarist for Metallica from 1986-2001.

Born in Battle Creek, Michigan in 1963, Newsted grew up on a small family farm surrounded by hundreds of animals and lots of productive energy. Immersed in creativity and creatures from an early age, Newsted states, “I learned about life, beauty, and death through my furry and feathered friends... all my childhood drawings and paintings were of critters.”

In March 1977, Newsted received his first bass guitar, and by 1981, he headed west to chase musical dreams. He states,

“through my teens, my pictures were school projects that featured rock band logos and guitar heroes.”

In October 1986; five years after leaving the midwest, Newsted moved to San Francisco and joined Metallica, successfully touring the globe and recording music that earned six Grammy Awards, over 100 million sales, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 2005, while healing from multiple shoulder surgeries, Jason redirected his well-known intensity from performance and music to visual fine art, where he found solace and new strength. He learned to be ambidextrous, which “led to a fantastic, childlike wonderment and fascination with pictures and creations... within me that waited to become something that I never knew existed.”

Today, Jason Newsted is an artist with a newly found passion for painterly expression. He remains devoted to his music that is a formative and consistent influence for his painting.