Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Palomo.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Ever since I can remember I have always gravitated towards art, some of my clearest memories when I was in grade school involve art. The only recognition I received was in art, for show and tell I demonstrated how to make papier Mache ornaments, and when I was five I made a girl cry after I told her she was using the wrong color red in her artwork…I still feel terrible about that one. However, even though my early memories are stitched with art making I never thought that being an artist was an actual possibility until my senior year in high school. Growing up I was never encouraged to do art but once I felt the heavy burden of picking a major I selected the only one that came natural to me. I asked my art teacher if doing art for a career is a “real thing”, she assured me it was and I have never looked back. I received my BFA from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas and my MFA from Arizona State University, which bought me to the valley.
Please tell us about your art.
My work is driven by personal experiences. I have always been a somewhat uncomfortable person and I struggle with articulating how I feel. I experienced this most relentlessly when I lost my mother. As time moves on, my internal presence only becomes more unique, more severe, more compacted, forever changing and rarely resting. Through abstraction and mark-making, I explore the dynamics of a ruptured reality that place identity and emotion in a liminal, ambiguous space.
In my drawings, I only render a handful of distinct organic forms, the eyes rest merely for a moment before plunging into a sea of textural marks. These expressive involuntary marks do what language cannot, intuitively creating a passageway to concealed memories, recording a trace of their complexities through drawing, and ultimately logging intricate and multifaceted sensations in hopes of creating a truer empathetic connection. These drawings speak from the body, connecting, sustaining, and transmitting impressions with each varied gestural mark. The overall encounter is ambiguous in form and liminal in space, fluxing in perspective, and never providing a sense of clarity. Ultimately when viewers look at my work I want them to experience a range of emotions whatever they may be.
Choosing a creative or artistic path comes with many financial challenges. Any advice for those struggling to focus on their artwork due to financial concerns?
Great question that I myself could use some advice on! First off, do not feel guilty for not making. All artists go through up and down cycles and hating yourself for not being as active can occasionally keep you in a funk even longer. For me, attention and focus can be separate things when it comes to my art practice. I find that when I am juggling the jobs and hustling the work I try to devote time weekly to low-level tasks. Giving this type of attention to my artwork keeps me in the habit without exhausting me mentally or physically. Then when you are ready to focus and devote some serious time to creating it won’t take so much time to jump back into making.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Currently, you can see a large site-specific drawing installation I have created for the 2018 Arizona Biennial located at the Tucson Museum of Art in Tucson, AZ. TMA will be celebrating the final days with a Biennial Bash on Saturday, September 15th 6-9pm. Come and visit me and the other Biennial artists! There will also be live music, performances, and refreshments. Additionally, I am working on an upcoming two-person exhibition with Cami Galfore titled Ensnarled with Flowers, I Fall on Grass opening January 22, 2019, at the Eric Fiscal Gallery. You can see more of my work on my website jessicapalomo.com or on Instagram @jess_palomo.
Contact Info:
- Website: jessica.palomo.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @jess_palomo
Image Credit:
Buzzy Sullivan
Scott Zdon
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