Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessie Xu
Hi Jessie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My name is Jessie Xu, I’m a start-up portrait painter and illustrator based in New York. I was born in Shanghai, China, and moved to New York for college, recently graduated from SVA’s majoring in BFA Illustration. I’m allergic to caffeine, so I’m not very alert in the mornings without being able to drink coffee. Due to a slight case of synesthesia, numbers, letters, or musical notes have their unique colors, genders, tastes, or sometimes personalities in my mind. For example, my current phone number has light pink spots on its surface and smells like a lemony orange. One of the spots is cyan, very cute.
This is the “fun fact about myself” that I prepared for self-introductions at the beginning of every semester. As someone who’s a bit scared of public speaking, I needed to practice these sentences in advance. Now that I’ve graduated, maybe this is the last time I talk about them, maybe there will be more times.
I am an artist, and I’ve known since the very beginning that I would become one. It’s quite simple: from hobby to profession, art has never left me. I once wrote on my website, “I was born in August 2002 and I discovered an interest in art in August 2001,” and my professor asked me if it was a typo. Well, now that I think about it, it probably was. The average time from conception to birth is about 9 months, so I guess I started getting interested in art around November 2001.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would say yes, I’m quite satisfied with myself. Everyone’s got bumps in their road, right? If a smooth path is like a kitten’s back, then mine is like rubbing the kitten’s back against the grain – occasionally prickly, but still soft and smooth overall.
I’m very lucky to have a supportive family. I’m also fortunate to have this passion that keeps me on this path without considering a turn to other roads.
One of my biggest problems was finding my own artistic style. The differences in Eastern and Western aesthetics and cultural preferences confuse me too. Like everyone else, I love visual media works and I look up to the big names in the art world, but it wasn’t any specific piece that inspired me to start drawing. I simply love the process of making art. This led to a lack of consistency in my work because art education exposes us to various styles, media, and subjects. I eventually started to think deeply and recognize my advantages. I think I have a decent answer now.
(I don’t fully understand, but I heard that a lot) the economic situation hasn’t been great lately, and societal pressure is high. Competition among young ones is becoming more intense. As a recent graduate, many friends around me, including myself, are feeling anxious about the future. The rise of AI-generated art in recent years has made many people hesitate to enter the art industry as well. I’ve asked several teachers and artists about their views on AI. While their opinions vary, they all agree on the uncertainty of its impact on our field. Seeing these seasoned professionals unsure of what lies ahead makes me nervous but also a little excited about our future. Technology! Interesting.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in realistic oil paintings, mostly portraits of people and animals. Besides oil painting, I also enjoy creating cute digital illustrations to channel my creative energies.
When facing a canvas, I sometimes enter a special state of immersion that allows me to suddenly access skills that I didn’t know I had. In this state, I lose track of time, and sometimes the things I create surprise me, “Did I really do that?” I enjoy focusing on a single piece for a long time, I can quietly fill the canvas with details.
During college, I studied for a long time under Professor Marvin Mattelson, a professional and highly experienced portrait artist who takes every detail of oil painting very seriously. He taught me many techniques for painting classical oil portraits as well as things outside of skills. I took every class he had, lol. He introduced me to the world of portraiture.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I do commissions! For portrait painting, I will arrange a location with the client to take reference photos. If the client has favorite photos that are suitable for an oil painting, that works too. The reference photo usually has specific requirements for pose or lighting because photos capture moments, while portrait paintings need to capture a natural state. What I need to do is make the person or animal in the oil painting look as if they are right in front of you.
Illustrations are more in a form of free drawings. I always have quirky ideas that need to be expressed, so I create editorial illustrations or simple concept designs.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jessiexart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artist_jessie/
Image Credits
Portrait painting models: Nina, Rouchka, Titi, Dafu
