Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Jess Perna of Temecula

Jess Perna shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Jess, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
I lose track of time when I’m drawing or painting. Even back when I was in kindergarten, I’d get so engrossed, the teacher designated one of my classmates to be in charge of getting me out of the building in case of a fire drill…or actual fire! The trance can be broken with the smell of chocolate chip cookies.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Jess Perna and I’m a wedding painter, portrait artist, mural painter, illustrator and digital artist. I travel countrywide to paint at weddings. I take photos of the wedding couple and work from their favorite. I start the painting process for the guests to watch. After the wedding, I finish the painting in my studio, varnish it and ship it to the couple. I work on a variety of sizes from 16″x20″ all the way up to 30″x40″. The canvases are 1.5″ thick and I also paint the sides to create the gallery wrap format that doesn’t require a frame. I include hanging hardware and it’s ready to hang in minutes See my website and youtube videos to see how the painting wraps around the sides! Many wedding artists rush the process in order to complete the painting by the end of the wedding. The results are hit or miss. I spend many additional hours in my art studio to bring the painting up to museum quality. Because of the time I put in, I can’t take on as many paintings per year, but my focus is quality over quantity. My customers really appreciate it! For the details on faces I use special magnifying glasses and the tiniest brushes available. I enjoy the challenge of getting an exacting likeness! I also paint commissioned portraits of people and pets, murals and book illustrations. When you were a kid, if you colored in the Care Bears or Hot Wheels coloring books, those were illustrated by me. I hope you stayed in the lines!

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
When I was five, my mother found me lying on my belly on the rug after I drew a picture of Pinocchio from the cover of a storybook. She thought I had traced it and asked me to draw it again. “OK mommy!” The next one was even more accurate, and it terrified her! She worried she wouldn’t know how to raise someone with my talent, and I could become messed up if it wasn’t done right. It turns out she just needed to buy me art supplies, bring me cookies for drawing fuel and cheer me up when my pictures weren’t perfect.

My mother’s belief in me gave me the confidence and drive to pursue an art career when others didn’t think it was a practical idea. The confidence I developed from improving my art through perseverance carried over into every other area of life making me unafraid to tackle new challenges even in things I have no natural aptitude for. She passed away just one month ago on November 30th, 2025. I miss her so intensely but what she gave me will never fade away.

Do you remember a time someone truly listened to you?
My biggest cheerleader was my mother and she always truly listened to me. She gave me the best advice from a place of deep caring. I wish for everyone to have someone like her in their life.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
Right now, the biggest lie in the art industry is that AI art could ever possibly replace a real-life human artist. Last week I was working at a pet food store where I drew pictures of customers’ pets for a holiday promotion the store was running. One lady gave me a picture of her cat on her phone to draw from. I found out later from one of the employees that this woman was so moved by the drawing of her cat that she was in tears. Her cat had passed and she said I captured the feeling of her cats personality as well as it’s beauty. Do you think AI art would have provoked such a powerful reaction? Another question – would you go to an art museum that was only filled with AI art? Just because a machine can do something, does that mean that it should?

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days. 
I feel most excited creating art and exploring new ideas, techniques and composition challenges. It’s always a combination of planning but also being surprised at the outcome. Adding beauty to the world is so important. I will never tire of seeing the reactions of people I create art for, whether it’s a customer, family or a friend. The joy and astonishment in their expressions brings me so much happiness!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jesspernafineart.com
• Instagram: jesspernafineart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessPernaFineArt
• Youtube: @JessPerna-n9l