'I wanted to paint because I wanted to emphasize the minute gestures and details of my personal life. I found that my deepest desires were embedded in seemingly minor occurrences, fragments of thoughts, and persistent emotions. The symbology of color informs my navigation through life, and painting as well as resin gave me the tools to express that journey. Moreso than any artist or artistic movement, I have identified with the people who surround me and their ways of seeing and doing. There is no end to the stream of new information one can tap into if they are watching and listening closely; although seeing an artistic peer's work is like a giant burst of energy, a painted-over concrete walkway amongst acidic grass lawns might be the real inspiration for a new painting. The sculptures represent the desire; they are created with a longing to possess the immortality and translucency of plastic, yet with so little commitment that they are almost disposable objects, things to be bought at the checkout counter and thrown away after a month or so. They give artistic prowess to my lifetime hobby of collecting and arranging small objects, styling outfits, or arranging flowers, by allowing me to endlessly play with color palettes and groupings of shape. My artwork is meant to be a gift to those around me; I paint who and what I see, and make sure that the proper owner of a piece is given it. So far, this has not involved financial transactions, but rather an exchange of understanding and therefore putting to rest ideas and dreams that had formerly existed solely as such.” —Jessica Dean Harrison

Lively, complex, and symbolic, the best kind of fever dream. Jessica Dean Harrison's work reminds me in a way of David Hockney as a young man, painting personal subject-matter in oil paints rendering in a highly realistic look using vibrant colors. Jessica captures that less than happy girl sitting at the end of a couch at a house party and the light hearted conversation taking place near the stage at a show set against flat backgrounds. Jessica reads body language as a therapist does and translate soft conflict in each painting effortlessly.

—Stacey Nishimoto

Art courtesy of Jessica Dean Harrison. See more art posts here.