Meet Jessie Welch

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessie Welch and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessie, why did you pursue a creative career?
This is the one thing that I’m good at, and that I relevently enjoy doing. Yes, there were other things I did well, but the motivation and the passion were lacking in my life, and it became, “Why am I doing this, and why should I care?” asking myself those questions, the answers became less and less clear. While transferring to a university, I worked full-time as a Behavior analyst, something I did on and off for 6 years, and I did well at that job. Juggling both university and a high-stress job, eventually, I just had a mental breakdown and decided to quit and do uni full-time. I suddenly had a lot of time on my hands and was trying to connect to my inner child about how to make her happy. I started asking, “Who am I? What do I like to do? What if money wasn’t a concern, how would I spend my time?”. I haven’t touched the arts for about 10 years at this point, which I locked away, stating that particular path wasn’t meant for me, but wasn’t it for me? I found my start in Riverside, integrating into the art community almost instantly when I decided I was going to give this a try. I found those who gave me a sense of belonging while doing what I could only imagine. These individuals saw something in me and this mission that I was on before I could and would state, “It’s not that far for you.” At the time, I didn’t know what that meant, but now there is a light at the end of the tunnel that seems so far but yet, so close.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Oil paints are central to my practice, and my work reflects unspoken truths, visual grievances, and cultural and spiritual influences in the form of a diary in real time. Driven by an exploration of the use of warmth and cool tones through the spectrum of color and the expression of a personal narrative of one’s journey of grief, spiritual practice, self-discovery, and self-empowerment. Through visual art practices, I aim to evoke a dialogue between the viewer and the subject, tying our experiences together as a bridge from the artist to the collective to create a greater sense of solidarity through one’s personal power that is uncovered through death and rebirth that is within all of us. I believe that nothing is free in this life; this new life costs my old one. I sacrificed everything that I was working towards to start again. That cost made me question everything that I was and who I am. It cost me my relationship, my friends, my identity, and my home. I believe the challenges will never stop, but you adapt with your newfound wisdom and lessons of resiliency that help guide you through this unknown path, and only you can place a price on that. Currently, I am learning the lesson of becoming multifaceted in my talents and skills: the groundwork, if you will. Although this is a difficult jounery, I am excited to see my future unfold in front of me even if it’s not entirely clear yet; but isn’t that the fun part? The possibilities are endless. You can be whatever you want to be. The path may not be easy, but when you are in alignment, only good things can come from giving it your all.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If you are an art lover, I will show them The American Museum of Ceramic Art. You can see many talented artists work at an affordable price. There is Stage Global, where those who practice the ariel arts give classes and put on community shows. Artist in the Alley is another scene where local artists come together and network while viewing their peer’s artwork. During the Artwalk, you can meet a lot of artistic folks showcasing their artwork or the services/classes they offer. A great place for food is at Wish You Were Here; both breakfast and lunch are good.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So the individuals who encouraged me down this path were Rosy Cortez, an oil painter and muralist, and Perry Picasso, an artist and social media influencer. Rosy and I felt connected because our stories of where we are now were so similar, and was the person to tell me that what I wanted wasn’t so far away. She was one of the first people to believe in me. When I would go to the studio where we both worked, she would see me put my hours in time in and out day after day, just doing work without direction. I remember I was using these super cheap oil paints that I had for over a decade, so cheap that you couldn’t mix colors accurately without them turning gray. She gifted me a student-grade Gablim oil painting set, a 60-dollar value, and told me that she wanted to see what I could do if I had the tools to execute my vision. I was deeply touched by this gesture, as I was only 2 months into this journey. I met Perry at the same studio about 6-8 months into my journey; we quickly became friends as we both spent a lot of time together at the studio working. As our friendship deepened, and I shared my doubts on this path with him, he just smiled at me, as if he could see what I couldn’t at the time, and said, “You and I will be in the Cheech Marin Museum for Chicano Arts someday, I’ll make sure of it.” At first, I didn’t fully believe it, as I was still struggling with my self-worth as an artist. About 4 months later, I got an invitation to participate in a group show at the Cheech Marin Museum, and the person who invited me was Perry. There were many instances where other people have influenced and encouraged me on this path, which is too many to list, but there were moments where these people showed me kindness and gave me a platform to speak my narrative or resonated with my storytelling; without all of these people placing their belief in me, I would be nothing. So, I thank my communities and the collective for getting me this far.

Website: https://www.hellojessiegirl.art/about

Instagram: hellojessiegirl