Jesse Edwards

Jesse Edwards (born 1977) is an American artist. Known primarily for his figurative and still life oil paintings, using techniques from the European Old Masters, that often provide satirical cultural commentary. His practice also includes painted ceramic sculptures. Edwards studied oil painting at the Gage Academy of Art, and has been exhibiting publicly since. He has been into graffiti twice as long as oil painting or ceramics. After moving from Seattle to New York Edwards acquired representation by Vito Schnabel Edwards work was later chosen by the curators Theo Niarchos and David Rimanelli to be included in group exhibitions alongside works by Harmony Korine, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Julian Schnabel, Dan Colen, Dash Snow, and Pablo Picasso.

Early life and education Edwards' was born in Hayden Lake Idaho in 1977. He attended Cornish College of Arts in 1999, and, after receiving a scholarship, Gage Academy in 2002. He studied at Gage for three years.

Art practice

Edwards uses oil paint on stretched linen, underpainting, and glazing to emulate the style of the Old Masters.

Selected works

Deitch Masters, for the 2015 Coney Art Walls, was a mural painted by Edwards featuring a 3D graffiti style he developed by painting and modeling from cardboard into a graffiti lettering style 3D sculpture. This mural features the subjects from Rembrandt's Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild and the Dutch Master cigar package. Reinterpreting the Dutch Master cigar package, Edwards replaced the word "Dutch" with "Dietch," a reference to Jeffrey Deitch. Edwards has worked in proximity to Deitch by association with the Hole Gallery and Kathy Grayson who in 2009 worked as the director of Deitch's, Deitch Project. Painting Passion Pepe Billboard, located at 6817 Melrose Avenue, was an artwork from 2020 displayed as a billboard advertisement featuring a still life painting of Buttman Magazine, a Vaseline dispenser, a white towel, and the memes Pepe and Wojak. The billboard was created to advertise Edwards' YouTube channel and as an art piece to bring strange memes into the physical world, it eventually became a small meme of its own.

Painting Passion Pepe Billboard and the Buttman still life Since June 5, 2011 Edwards has been uploading videos to his YouTube including an original series of graffiti-and-rap-centric, comedic instructional painting videos titled Painting Passion. In February 2020, Edwards attracted media attention when he advertised himself with a billboard for his YouTube channel.

An image of the still life was eventually published in print on the inside cover of Buttman Magazine Volume 16, Number 5.

Exhibitions

Solo

Fine Art Ceramic Works, Woodside Braseth Gallery, Seattle, 2007 New Paintings and Private Book Release, 122 Ludlow, New York, 2010 Dialogue of the Streets, Klughaus Gallery, New York 2012 Let's Watch TV All Day, 6817 gallery, Los Angeles, 2015 See the Words I Can't Say, New Release Gallery, New York, 2017 House of Cards, Diane Rosenstein, Los Angeles, 2019

Group

Pushing Five, BLVD Gallery, Seattle, 2006 Summer Reading, The Hole Gallery, New York, 2013 ROCK | THEM, ROX Gallery, New York, 2013 DSM-V, The Future Moynihan Station, New York, 2013 Go With The Flow, The Hole Gallery, New York, 2014 Old Glory, Mulherin Gallery, New York, 2017 Untitled, Diane Rosenstein, Miami, 2018 Painting’s Favorite Food: Art History as Muse, South Etna Montauk, curated by Alison M. Gingeras, New York, 2020 Blast Over, Christian Rex Van Minnen, Gallery Ruttkowski;68, Paris, 2020 Riders of the Red Horse, The Pit Gallery, Los Angeles, 2020 Go Figure, Todd James, Hong Kong, 2021

Art Market Limited public market information is available. In April 2021 an Artsy.net listing for an oil painting from 2020 titled "Pandemic Painting" was priced at $16,500.

Recognition Edward's was awarded the North Hill Residency from Stefan Simchowitz in Pasadena, California. He was provided three kilns for his ceramic work.