Jessica Rose Walsh grew up in southwest Colorado in her fathers guitar shop and mothers art gallery. Creation has always been her foundation and joy. She is a painter, jewelry maker, and woodworker. In her early twenties she moved to Sedona Arizona, where she was surrounded by inspiring artists, energy healers, and people flourishing outside of the norm. Here she expanded her practice and gained the knowledge that what the eye sees is only a fraction of what is there. In 2020 she bought a van and solo traveled the US for two years. She spent time in the mysterious forests of the Pacific Northwest and the vast seashores of the Outer Banks of North Carolina and many places in between. This time of freedom and solitude refined her vision for what she wants to contribute to the world. She is inspired by the realms that are felt but not seen, desert scapes and creatures, the power of color, and the enduring connection we all intrinsically have with the primal natural world. She has participated in art shows in Sedona and in her hometown Ridgway, Colorado, sold her art in coffee shops and restaurants and created logos for various businesses. She makes and sells bodily adornments, canvas and wood paintings and other wall hangings intended to beautify a space. She likes to use foraged and recycled materials from her local environment whenever possible to emphasize the connection we all have with the world we live in.
Artist Statement
I create to bring to reality and magnify the parts of life that are true magic. Sometimes life can be seemingly mundane and repetitive. Creating helps me reach a higher and subtler realm, one that is real and right in front of me if I only take the time to notice it. It is the abundance of new and wild sights in the tiny things when I slow down and look closely, that allows my mind to expand again and again. There are themes of symmetry, patterns and soothing earthy tones along with desert wild life, my dreamscapes and fantasies that all unfold to feed my creativity. My artwork signifies the beauty there is to be seen when I look closely within. It hopefully provides the viewer a break from the parts of life that are synthetic and unnatural but also necessary to integrate being a human in modern society. Over consumption and noise masquerading as content are an unfortunate social norm; It is too easy to get wrapped up in always striving for more and being unsatisfied, rarely sitting quietly to observe and savor this incredible life we have been gifted and the learning from the beings we are sharing this experience with. I'm constantly rediscovering how to balance my inner world with the outer one where I need to push myself to grow and evolve if I want to reach a point of freedom. My art is the most powerful thing I have to reconnect with myself and the natural rhythms of life and I wish to share it with others and hopefully inspire them to do the same.
My preferred mediums are acrylic on canvas, acrylic on wood, wood burning , hand crafted beadwork, and the incorporation of natural elements and themes throughout. I work with both exotic and locally sourced wood, either found in the scrap bin in my fathers guitar making shop or outside in the woods near my home. I use a color palette that reflects both the softness and vividness of the natural world. My process differs with each project, and it's very much a free flowing experience. Sometimes I will start over many times and I don't often have a plan. I have a feeling, and I work from there, adapting along with each creative process. Choosing the color theme is one of my favorite parts of the process. Colors are so powerful and they dictate the overall feeling of the painting or piece of work. The creation evolves and takes on its own shape, and usually by the time I'm done I've created something I didn't expect. When I started woodworking it was because I wanted to create pieces that could be functional, or go with someone wherever they went. I wish for my artwork to be integrated into the tapestry of people's lives rather than simply an object to be observed. We are all connected with all that is, and my hope is that my creations help to bring a sense of that connection into people's lives and the community.
Statement Of Intent
For as much darkness and ugliness that there is in the world there is equally as much beauty and light. What we experience depends on where we put our focus. We can remember who we are as humans and the magic of this experience by being quiet and observing nature, down to the little bugs and beetles, the colors of the soil, or the veins on a leaf. Not everything is meant to be complex, analyzed and dissected, and not everything needs to be rationally understood. When we come back to simplicity, the clutter dissipates and we can experience things in a more whole and pure way. I just want to make art because it feels good to me, it is a meditative practice and a natural instinct that feeds my soul. I want to remind people to experience the moment, to get lost in the intricate details of a moth's wing or a passing bug. To feel the sensations of being alive, back to the basics, back to peace and a quiet mind where ideas can blossom. As a quiet person in a loud world, translating my thoughts into colors and shapes on a canvas comes more freely than translating them to words to be misinterpreted. Communication through energy, colors and feelings is freeflowing and ever evolving. It moves, changes and grows with the viewer and helps us to integrate a sense of our natural selves. It is my intent to live that truth fully in a way that feeds my body and my soul, and hopefully helps people reconnect with a quiet, simple, deep, powerful part of themselves that sometimes gets lost in the clamor of daily life. My hope is that I can step into a space where my creative endeavors are supportive and fulfilling to me and all of those wonderful souls I may connect with directly or indirectly.