Jesse Wright, a soft-spoken, sincere type, sat down with us to discuss issues ranging from God to afros...Jesse has a wealth of talents- painting, design, playing guitar, writing and programming to name just a few. He's a Connoisseur of ice cream and a big movie buff.

Knowing you now for 10 years puts a different spin on this interview for me, but having said that, I'll give it my best attempt to minimize my partiality to you and your work, since I'm one of your biggest fans.

Ten adult years of memory is a little...[laughs]

Yeah, ten years after anything is a little....

When did you first know or recognize that you were an artist?

I'm sure it's stealing quotes from several people but I think that in terms of recognizing if I'm an artist- I think that's something I'm building towards, but in terms of enjoying it, or feeling it's a vocabulary that I recognize things through, I think that's one of those "ever since" answers.

If it's particular instincts, I definitely remember being with my father and him drawing- "how do you draw that", "how do you do this" I'd ask. My great-grandfather used to paint as well, so I used to kind of go under his table where he painted. He would use these model paints.

Oh nice!

[laughs] Yeah, I just remember loving that smell and watching how those different things could make that form and just wondering where he went to, you know.

What did he paint?

He would do these painting by numbers, and the thing about that is, it was a religious family, so he would do like the "last supper" or Christ with sheep.

Paint by number, thats hot! [laughs]

[laughs] Yeah, and I think the interesting thing about that which, you know kind of comes up contemporary for me, is that there was this pattern- and before he put the colors there, there was this underlying thing, and he would apply these colors to fit these patterns and at the end he would have this picture or this story, but there was always some underlying pattern there so it's interesting how that's developed.

Thats a good way of looking at it as opposed to something that's more constrained- in that you have to follow a set of rules, seeing it has a structure you can kind of use or not use, kind of like how your work is now.

Yeah, yeah absolutely.

Describe what the young Jesse Wright was like.

Afro, corduroy [laughs]

Um, I don't really know...[hesitates]..."watching" you know I just remember watching a lot, it seemed like things happened and I was watching them, as opposed to being there at that moment.

I kind of remember in that way, I don't know if part of that also happens to deal with (not that it was an issue with me) but I recognize as you get older, sometimes "mixed heritage" if you want to call it, is different practices, from different cultures.

Certain things that people say "it's a given, this is the way it is", and then you go to a different household with a different background or heritage, you see their practices and they say "this is a given and this is how it is" I think once that starts happening you kind of begin to look at it as though, well maybe this isn't a given, what really is it about? And so you start watching to see what's going on.

The 12 Apostles

What role did art play in your formative years- when you were young? Did you do any art, were you into artistic things?

I was always drawing or cutting things out, making little sets. As far as seeing artwork- growing up in high school and elementary school, I always had great teachers and people who would give me supplies for free.

Cool, did you do well in art class?

I'll say YES [laughs]. I enjoyed it.

You and I both, speaking of school, graduated from the School of Visual Arts, here in New York City. Now that it's been a while since we've graduated, what is your perspective at your time at SVA? Was it worthwhile? Knowing what you know now would you have done it over, and would you have done anything differently?

The thing about school, and I don't know if this is a plus 30 realization, you can look back and see that experience is always giving you what you need. It might be a while before you recognize it, and there were alot of things I was looking for when I was there, that I couldn't understand why it was that I didn't get it.

On the flip side, I did an exchange program in England for about a year, and this teacher came in and I was ready to show him my work and he said "hmm, you do all of these things very well, but I have no idea why you are doing them, and I'm going to come back in a couple weeks and you show me why you are doing them."

[laughs all around]

Yeah that came as a body blow so to speak, but the thing about that is, I realized the difference from that education to here [usa]. Here, I think you are geared towards- "what's the assignment, what do you want me to do, how do you want me to do it, and I'm gonna deliver it, and I'm gonna get that A." Whereas when I went there, it kind of gave me the other side to find out- "how do I give myself the A, what am I about, why am I doing it?". So, although it's stifling for a bit, it set me on that path.

At what point in your life did you become specifically aware that you needed Jesus Christ in your life? Was there a defining moment?

Not in the same way that we spoke about art, but what I would say is that same answer of "ever since" in terms of something holding a presence- because it's in my family on both sides- and my grandfather was the head of his church.

In Jamaica...

Yeah right across the street, and the same thing with my dad, his father, he wasn't the head but he was up there.

So both sides of your family were active.

Right, so in terms of the presence being there, and actually the first time I remember doing something with art, it was a competition at the church.

[laughs all around]

I drew this whale consuming the earth [laughs] I got second place.

Blank Pages

Was Jonah in it?

Humility, yeah well that was what it kind of was with the Earth.

How old were you?

Maybe 8 somewhere around there? But you know some questions come in and I do remember asking my Grandfather questions, and I remember him saying "you never question the Lord" and I think some of that wasn't a good enough answer for me so to speak.

You know kind of like the painting by numbers with the pattern underneath, you might not see what the picture is yet, but as you get older, you're like "oohh k", once the colors start filling in and through experience you start seeing that picture and that face there so to speak. When I stopped blocking it back? I would say around college time.

During school or after?

Well it was prior to that, in that it definitely had a presence well through high school, and even before that, but when you say "this is it, I'm not going back and forth on it" it was probably around then.

Well it's cool how it kind of linked up with the art, and the experience was together, because thats one of the themes of this magazine- to encourage the people in the Gifts that they have been given, so it's interesting with you, you found God in your gift.

Knowing you as I do, I've seen a very specific shift towards Biblical themes in your work over the last ten years, what role does Gods Word play in your work?

I would say, there was a while where I didn't do art after school, and you know part of that is monetarily, it builds, and when you are in art school you can just be doing your artwork and think- that's how it will go when you get out. What I would say to that is, you go through this stage that you say "what does it provide"? If somebody is sick, can you rub a painting on it? is it gonna get better? What can you give somebody, how can you strengthen the afflicted arm?

As well, theres the argument that all things have been done, so how do you make something new? I think you make it new if that's the right word—I'd say distinct— is to make it about your story, the things that interest you, and those are things I felt I had to share, and taking time and looking back, again it's that underlying pattern- you can paint alot of things, but what is really the allegory going on underneath?

I think bringing the words was just to not necessarily be ambiguous in what I was trying to deal with, and in using that as a source I began working large scale to deal with large themes. I thought maybe this is what I could feed or offer, maybe not so much to the physical wound but, the spiritual food, to pass it on.

So basically your work is a form of testimony, it's a testimonial from your experience of things.

It definitely reflects my experience, these recent pieces can function as a witnessing, absolutely.

Have you had any of that at your shows? have people come up and ask you things, giving you a chance to share with them?

Well I think the biggest thing about it is, going back to what the teacher said about "doing things well but why are you doing it", these recent paintings are dealing with mixed media. I pick up things that I find and might not necessarily know what it is at first, and this brings me in to also be a viewer, and it's my trying to understand situations.

I think when you're going on that journey, people start to come in and they see the symbols and it goes both ways- people are embracing, people are questioning- sometimes the harsh- "are you doing this because you feel its constraining".

The work, because it has an abstract element leaves room for dialogue, and given the subject matter, people are receptive about the opportunity to talk about how they feel.

Do you believe that your art and talents are a Gift from the Lord, and if so what do you think He wants to do through Jesse Wright?

I definitely have to say that it's a blessing to do it, and I think recognizing that you are able to do it, you must do it.

As far as what God might have to say through me, hopefully part of why I've taken the approach I have, involving collage, or mixed media is to open myself up to beyond what I may necessarily have to say, to sometimes step back and look at what's being said here- what message is maybe passing through me, it could be I'm constraining, it may need to open a bit, some things are pinpointed, while others are abstract, sometimes it's completed once someone comes to me with their question or testifies.

So do you think it goes both directions, in the sense that it opens up a dialogue?

Absolutely, both between me and the source, and then later the viewer has something to say and their experience. I try to keep an ear to that to see what message might be coming through them back to me.

Has there been in the recent pieces you have been working on, something that the Lord is repeatedly bring up, that seems to come through your work, themes that are continuous, things you always find yourself dealing with?

Well these, recent pieces I've been addressing mainly Genesis or Revelation, and Transfiguration. In terms of technique, I'm definitely interested in balance. And with the particular things going on in the world right now, things extreme, I feel like things weren't being ironic or ambiguous, and they were extreme situations and I guess Revelation can be an extreme book, so I've been exploring those themes.

Yeah because I remember a few years ago that peace march against the Iraq war here in NYC had a real big impact on you, the horses riding over the crowd, and I know politics has always played somewhat of a role in your work.

Sure, well I think where that also comes in is in "setup, conflict and resolution" and that plays in with so much work output across mediums. Music and Art has to deal with reaction and reacting and putting it out. I think with setup, conflict and resolution- look at the setup, and then you go through the conflict and maybe rather than just react and spew venom and get the poison out - step back: "what do I think about this, how do I feel about this, and what clarity if any can be put forward after that instead of just putting out my confusion."

I might look back later and go "wow I was confused" but at least at the time, it's looking at the situation. For example, you mentioned the horses- when the horses came through I just had the image of how this horse has been used throughout history or might be in the future, the four horses of the apocalypse, horses on plantations, just making these connections, to go back I realize I didn't answer your question before, it's making those connections to things on the surface and linking them up to things I've found in scripture, and the horse is a good example of that, whats the underlying thing?...

What sort of accountability do you think an artist who is a Christian has, what are their standards? What makes a Christian artist different from any other artist?

Technique wise, ok I did a painting called "Isaiah" and in Isaiah 5 there's "woe unto those that call evil good, good for evil, darkness for light, light for darkness, bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter" So I think that goes back to actually answer your last question which is to think about it, and link it up in some way, I don't know of other peoples responsibilities, but I know that's something I try to do, and try to be mindful of what you are doing and offer something back, something positive or to link it up in some way rather than spread out confusion, trying to hopefully bring some positivity there.

Ok so positivity would be a form of accountability, in the sense of going beyond as you said before- beyond "the reaction".

Yeah beyond the initial reaction and check it. I've done it checking it against scripture, and praying about these pieces. The piece "Love is on the way to War" was done during the build up of the war in Afghanistan, and now with Iraq, I was praying, praying, praying, "God, we shouldn't have this war, don't let this happen" and looking back- I don't know why this is supposed to happen but I can pray about it and that's "Love is on its way to War" "Love" going to war on the behalf....on behalf of the situation...

I think that also references something that I was reading at the time, Genesis 3:23 when Adam and Eve were expelled and had to leave, to go till the land and face life and death, this Love interceding on their behalf. Regarding the war, initially I could have just spewed bile, and the things I don't like about it but I tried to see what I could find positive in it and then work from there.

You're one of the few people I know who has been blessed with a tremendous amount of talents, from painting to drawing, to web developer to writing and playing guitar, as well as art direction for huge bands like Live, how do you manage all of it, it seems like a pretty full plate.

[laughs] I don't know if I do, but if I connect it to the art, there's so many times I don't know how to get to the art, so when I get there and hit the art, I think that's when people respond positively to it.

I think they are picking up on my desire, and my appreciation to be able to do it when I do it. I think that appreciation is what they are responding to, if not necessarily from the imagery, that energy comes across.

There is a juggle, but I found that dealing in those different disciplines lends itself to the style, or maybe my style began to grow out of that, from using the computer, from programming, just the balance doing that I think lends itself towards collage, because I actually started doing the collage books because I didn't think I was actually going to get to do the artwork from doing some of those other things. And then the energy just couldn't fit into a little book so I went 4 foot by 4 foot.

So that being said- people all over the world are going to see your work on the site, what advice would you give to any young person who is just discovering their talents and their gifts?

To be honest, I'm sure their are other people on this site with far more prestige than I have to offer at this point, the part of why I enjoyed this opportunity, is because I am that person, because it's now that I'm really beginning to push it. Just be open and leave room, just leave room. If you want say spiritually speaking- leave room for God to do some work, don't limit it by trying to figure it all out yourself, be open to what's coming and let it pour through.

Thanks Jesse, God Bless you and your work.

Related

• The Paintings of Jesse Wright [proper]