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Jess Wathen

I'm relatively late to the painting practice, I'm self-taught, with a strong foundation in
drawing. Art is something of a necessity for me. No matter how long the hiatus I
always came back. Creation makes its demands and I meet them. While I always
wanted to be a career artist, I didn’t begin pursuing art professionally until a
publishing company offered an opportunity in 2015. Shifting away from labor
intensive odd jobs, I redirected my focus to permanently creating. Refined graphite
and charcoal portraiture became painted wildlife. When painting, I set out to produce
impressive and evocative images. It's less about the narrative and more about stirring
emotion. It's fascinating how profoundly something as simple as well-placed dabs of
color or limited brushed marks can both affect a viewer and a painting. Unlocking
intensity with such influence is my fuel.

Lovetts Gallery Note: Jack says, "...he is the only artist he knows who can paint beautiful pieces while rocking out to various types of metal music."

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