About the Artist: Jesse, Est. 1973
Jesse lives on planet Earth, at least most of the time. He leans misanthropic but is friendly enough. On occasion, to the dismay of anyone in the room, he can actually talk up quite the storm.
At one time he was a graphic designer but got bored and fled to Europe where he wandered ancient lands aimlessly for months, surviving on nothing but jam, stale bread, and museums. Pretending he had direction in life, Jesse completed a diploma in Acupuncture and somehow ended up in China. There, he aged a few years working in hospitals and clinics, studying Eastern philosophy, and learning how to make a proper mess of Chinese ink painting. Also in China, he met a kung fu master who attempted to teach him ancient profound ways of self-mastery--a challenging plight indeed, because he is such an untameable wildebeast.
Afterward Jesse returned to Canada because he missed the beavers, and collaborated in the foundation of an integrated rehabilitation clinic specializing in catastrophic neurological sequelae. For the next while he spent his time sticking needles into people, boiling potions, developing movement programs, and being pompous while sipping espressos with neuroscientists. To balance this out, Jesse started boxing, because he definitely deserved a punch in the head. Lately, he’s been living off-grid in his jeep, and spending a lot of time drinking tea and pondering dung beetles. Watering, pruning, and making casual conversations with random plants has also become a normal daily routine.
As early as he could hold a pen, Jesse’s doodles have inspired many a question and more often a concern. As an artist, he’s won awards while paradoxically trying his best to prove he’s not a very good artist. He's shown work all over the place, but primarily at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition and the McMichael Gallery. At some of these events he's actually won awards. In case you’re wondering, and in need of a coffee table book conversation-starter, lots of his art has been archived in his book, A Little Peccadillo With Your Coffee. He also illustrated the books "Buy An Artist A Drink" and "Buy An Artist Another Round", which you should buy. His art, if you haven’t already noticed, is influenced by big questions, lowbrow humour, and random everyday things. A playful, irreverent commentary on the world for no good reason other than personal amusement.
Generally, if you can’t already tell, Jesse has way too much on his mind, and relies on the meditative process of cappuccino making to ease the relentless onslaught of his existential-inspired inner dialogue. If you’re trying to understand how all this makes sense, don’t bother. If you do happen to figure it out, feel free to contact Jesse and explain it to him.
