Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Vollrath.
Hi Jessica, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started at it young, around 3. I grew up without a TV, so the only way to bring my imagination to life was drawing or acting it out. Creating pictures for the stories in my head became my creative outlet, and by the time I was 8, I knew I wanted to be an artist, even though I didn’t really understand what that meant. It’s been 30+ years, and I’m still painting. Of course, the path was far from straightforward or clear, but I always stayed close to things and situations that allowed space for me to paint and create. I kept in touch with my heart.
I got my MFA in 2017… I’m a professor teaching drawing for Dallas College, but painting is my main “thing,” I guess you’d say.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The struggles in my journey are far from unique. I paid my way through my degrees, and there were a couple of years that I worked and went to school without a single day off. I worked really hard for many years without much encouragement. But anything worth doing requires varied degrees of resilience and determination, so while yes, there were really hard days, all of the experiences, good and bad, were just preparation for the next life phase.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a classically trained oil painter. Figures and faces are my first loves. As I’ve grown as an artist, I’ve become interested in the technical challenges of portraying delicate light transitions and shadows. Currently, my work is focusing on narratives centered around my own soul journey into the meaning of life and what lies beyond. I think my background in fundamentalist Christianity gives me a unique perspective.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The art world is a crazy place, and it’s hard to track trends. I think as an artist, your job isn’t to track the trends; it’s to create them. If I paid attention to what was hot right now, I would be lost. For me, as a creative that is trying to stay true to the process, I kind of have to close my eyes and ears to the outside noise and just follow my heart.
Contact Info:
- Website: jessicavollrath.com
- Instagram: jessicavollrathart
- Facebook: jessicavollrathart
Image Credits
Michael Vollrath Gallery
@toyblock.co
