We took a deeper dive and asked Jess about his story, art and inspiration. Learn more in his interview below.
How were you first introduced to art?
Throughout my child hood I was surrounded by antiques and objects from the past, a lot of those things always had cool art work on them whether it was an old label or the object itself. I love old Americana, folk, western art and imagery...so lots of that growing up mixed in with being at the skate shop as a kid and seeing all the board graphics. That was always super inspiring as a kiddo.
I know skateboarding/surfing is a big part of your life, how does that connect with your art?
Yes, those two things play a huge part in my world. Surfing has connected with me in a way that I love painting on my friend's boards. They rip way way harder then me so I love the thought of my paintings doing things I probably wont ever do! HAHA, like getting barreled. One day I hope to get barreled. Goals! Growing up being obsessed with skating as a kid, we just would hang at the skate shop and always seeing board graphics there was super inspiring as a kid. Getting able to draw skate graphics now is always an honor and I hope my work can inspire some little kid to draw like it did for me.
You seem to travel a ton, why is that important to you and where are some of your favorite places to visit?
Traveling has been the absolute coolest thing the past few years have been insane and non-stop. Getting to travel for work is insane to me. A true dream come true, the places iv been, times had, and friends and family that have been made are irreplaceable. I'm very grateful, and hope to be able to continue to travel and make more paintings in beautiful places.
What inspired the design of our collaborative capsule?
These designs are some of my favorite recent drawings. I love seeing them all together. My inspiration is drawn from the landscapes of the western US regions, and these images capture the essence of the moments experienced in those surroundings.
Any advice for someone looking to pursue art as a career?
Working for yourself lets you own your time which is absolutely priceless. I'm a hard on myself, there is no one to point at but yourself for everything...mistakes or jobs gone well... its all on you. It is all peaks and valleys but I wouldn't trade the experiences and relationships made for anything. Its an amazing path to go down.
