Portrait of the artist as a Pike/Pine club owner (Image: CHS)

After spending the better part of 20 years putting on music shows, including the biggest annual show on Capitol Hill, Jason Lajeunesse will be stepping into some new territory on Thursday. This month marks three years since the prolific Capitol Hill food and nightlife owner chose to live sober, and he’s commemorating the occasion with a show of original paintings.

ECHOES: Paintings by Jason Lajeunesse will premier Thursday at Ghost Gallery in conjunction with February’s Capitol Hill Art Walk. An artist reception will run from 5 PM to 9 PM at the E Olive and Summit space and the pieces will remain on display and on sale through March 9th.

Lajeunesse’s abstract, mixed-media art span two years of work, including one piece he finished just this week. Inspiration for the paintings began in 2012 when a newly sober Lajeunesse took a trip to Europe to rekindle his connection to visual art. “I wanted life to be bigger,” he said.

Lajeunesse will be donating his proceeds from the show to MusiCares, a non-profit that helps musicians struggling with alcohol and drug abuse.

When he’s not painting, Lajeunesse is part of the ownership team running Neumos, Moe Bar, Big Marios, Lost Lake Cafe, and the Comet Tavern. He runs the Capitol Hill Block Party, too.

Ghost Gallery owner Laurie Kearney, who has previously collaborated with CHBP, approached Lajeunesse last year about displaying his work. With CHBP planing in full swing at the time, Lajeunesse declined but agreed to a show in 2015. “I suddenly had no idea what I was going to do,” he said.

Sometimes, the pressure of a deadline is the greatest muse. With only a few pieces worthy of showing, Lajeunesse said he’s spent most evenings over the past few months painting inside his garage-turned-studio.

In the meantime, planning for Capitol Hill Block Party 2015 is in full swing. Lajeunesse said the festival’s last headliner was signed this week. The lineup will be announced at the end of March.

The past few years have brought a whirlwind of activity for Lajeunesse and his business partner Dave Meinert. The duo spent the past few months arranging their Capitol Hill empire under one roof, both figuratively and literally. In January, the crew moved into an E Pine office above Purr where CHBP and the nightlife ownership company Guild Seattle now reside. After taking on a new partner in Joey Burgess and adding Grim’s to the fold, Lajeunesse said he has no plans to take on any new ventures, but he didn’t rule it out.

“I’m always looking for new opportunities,” he said.