GOLD COAST — If they were aligned vertically, Jasper KIRK's paintings would reach higher than the Willis Tower. Place them in a circle and they would surround the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Jasper believes the nearly 1,200 paintings he's finished this year in his Gold Coast apartment amount to a world record. But the Guinness Book won't even consider them.
"My challenge is not the painting record. My challenge is getting into the record book," said Jasper, 60.
The man has painted at least three pieces a day, every day, since July 4, 2014. And just like chocolate chip cookies, penicillin and plastic, Jasper's new hobby began as an accident — when he opened his cabinet and a paint bottle fell on his toe.
"It connected me with my passion, which was snubbed," Jasper said.
Jasper in his apartment. [All photos by DNAinfo/David Matthews]
Born Dana Sweeney in San Francisco, Jasper visited Chicago nearly 40 years ago with a friend, and ended up staying after nailing a dance audition. He said as a child he eschewed academics for more creative outlets due to constant bullying over his name, and has since also worked as a model, radio DJ and jewelry designer.
"With a name like Dana I was teased from nursery school on up," Jasper said. "A guy with nails in his shoes kicked me."
But Jasper's creative career screeched to a halt when he fell off a vehicle during a photo shoot in 2003. He hit his head, broke a rib, herniated discs in his back, and lost bookings. He's since been unemployed and suffered from depression, but now he has painting, a hobby he calls the "highest" form of art therapy.
"I call this 'acrylic tears,' after years of repression," he said.
A stack of more than 1,000 Jasper paintings. Gardens are one of his favorite subjects.
Jasper began his project as "Challenge 360," meaning about one painting a day, but he finished 158 in the first month. He changed his yearlong goal to 1,200, chronicling each piece on his blog.
Some paintings "can take a second, which hardly ever happens," and some take up to three or four hours, Jasper said. His favorite subjects include women and gardens, but admits many of his pieces are generated from mistakes. Still, he insists that every one of his pieces "has intention."
WATCH: Jasper KIRK describes his process.
Jasper had never painted before, and previously dealt with his depression by letting it paralyze him. About 300 paintings into the project, he found himself sitting on his cement floor bawling at the realization. But it was healthy, he said.
"In order to break out you gotta break down," he explained.
Jasper, who adopted his pseudonym after trying it out while ordering at Starbucks, said people have asked him about selling his paintings, but he has another idea: being the largest one-man art show in the world.
Of course the world record would help validate this idea, but the Guinness book won't budge.
"Due to the very subjective nature of art and even defining the concept of art, Guinness World Records does not recognize any records for prolific drawing/painting," Guinness spokeswoman Kristen Ott said in an e-mail.
As of Tuesday he had completed 1,155 paintings, and Jasper doesn't know what he'll do once his year-long project ends. He owns his condominium free-and-clear, and can cover his bills with social security payments. He's reached out to galleries and art museums, but whether or not his work is accepted, he said he has at least found peace of mind through this new outlet.
"I'm into fabric. Textiles. I'll do coffee cups. I'll do tiles," he said. "This is love, hate, anger, passion. It's not me painting, it's tandem: It's pulling me in."
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