My very first outing after that I can recall was the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento!

Growing up with a father and grandmother as artists, I guess you can say I was destined to be interested in art in some form. Growing up watching my dad paint his heart out on large canvases day in and day out in his little makeshift of a studio/garage he showed me what real passion was. In high school, I became interested in photography and ceramics. I tried painting a few times, but it never spoke to me until I was a grown adult living on my own trying to find an outlet to express my emotions. Living alone in my little apartment several years ago, I would light candles late at night, put on my favorite painting music (Fiona Apple & Alice in Chains) and start to paint on small canvases my dad would “throw my way.” All of a sudden, I felt a release after every brush stroke. I felt anger, frustration, loneliness, depression slowly melting away. Having found an outlet that finally worked for me, that costs very little, and that I could do any day or time on my own in the comfort of my own home was like finding gold!!! I was so excited to finally have something of my own. My dad was so excited to say the least, he loaded me up with canvases and more paint & brushes, new and used from his studio to keep me going. I had always been attracted to abstracts and pop art which was a little different than what I had grown up watching my dad paint all those years. After getting married at Lake Tahoe in October 2022, with a surprise snowstorm, I was inspired to paint the 3-painting series. Tahoe is one of the most beautiful places that I visit often and is so inspiring for me to paint and daydream about. When it’s freshly blanketed with snow it’s just so stunning. A lot of my painting isn’t premeditated, it’s very spontaneous and on the spot painting, whatever comes thru at that moment in time, any memory or feeling I have at that very moment. I love to use texture to create dimension and high contrast. To paint on a canvas is to release weight off the shoulders like therapy for me. It’s so calming, and freeing.

Jessica Bowles