Jessie Pitt

jessiepitt.com

Born in Melbourne, Australia, artist Jessie Pitt is fascinated with mountains, and we don’t blame her. The sheer majesty of these monoliths is enough to stop one in their tracks. But Jessie isn’t concerned with ultra-realism in her work. She strives to capture the mood and colours that they reflect, speaking to her through the clouds, shadows and sheer size.

Spreading her time in between Australia and Austria for many years, she works with various mediums such as charcoal, graphite, drawing ink and acrylic on canvas and paper. Currently experimenting with un-stretched canvas, the texture of the material plays an essential role in her work.

How have you grown as an artist since we worked last year?

I would say, that even though we would like to live in our own bubbles, I feel that in the current environmental and political climate it is getting harder too. I have always considered my art to be non-political, but I feel, even without it being planned it definitely has a message that is relevant to now. This being the connection to nature, that much of humanity has lost, yet is so essential to every one of us, for survival, but also protection, and even for our mental health.

I am on such an inspired journey this year, and even though I have painted many artworks I feel like I have done nothing, it is a charming space to be in. I am really interested in creating immersive spaces, especially when I have exhibited this year and it is an on-going process in my thoughts, and I am sure that I will continue to move in this direction.

It is definitely connected to the direction I have been moving in, in that I try to convey the emotive side of the mountains, and the soul, not just a mountain portrait of one particular mountain but I guess the collective mountains. It is something that exists in all mountains, but in nature as well.

I always work in a kind of organic flow, in the sense that things happen while I am painting, that then lead me off in different directions or inspires other paths. I feel like my work is definitely becoming a substantial body of work that is working vigorously together, which also helps to create the immersive spaces that I am trying to achieve.

Would you say that your work attempts to encapsulate the sheer power and emotion of being amongst the mountains?

Yes, I would definitely say this is a huge part of what I attempt to do. Power in strength. Power in peace. And power in ‘stille’ .(a German word that describes that feeling)

Endure, Charcoal, Acrylic on Canvas, 196 x 130cm, 2018

We can imagine it is quite humbling to be in their presence?

It is in one part for sure, but it is also soul fulfilling. Maybe it is a realisation that we are small in the grand scheme of things, that nature is powerful. But it is also, peaceful, it is calmness, and it is strong. Connection to nature, well, connection to the earth.

You’ve exhibited extensively in the last year, could you talk us through some of the feedback you received?

My favourite feedback is actually when people come into the spaces that I have created and are mesmerised, and take the time to look, but also feel really. And this has happened frequently, and it is really nice to be able to create an atmosphere that people can physically feel. Beautiful, unusual, and unique.

Do you think as an artist it can be hard to take formative feedback? What advice would you give new artists regarding the same?

Yes, I think so… I think art comes from a very personal space and it can be hard to take on other ideas or suggestions. This being said, artists can definitely, especially at the start of their career be too influenced by others. There needs to be a balance. If you can, as an artist be open to hearing suggestions, yet have the ability to look at the reasons for and against from a space outside of your personal reactions, then I believe that it can also help you grow as an artist.

So I would suggest staying true to who you are as an artist, but be open to hearing other ideas and suggestions. They can sometimes lead you off on another path of inspiration that is still deeply rooted in who you are as an artist and build on the ideas that you already have to make them stronger.

State of Being, Graphite, Ink, Acrylic on Canvas, 130 x 170cm, 2018

What mediums are you experimenting with at the moment?

I am working mainly with graphite and acrylic at the moment, but with touches of ink and charcoal at times. I like the softer tones of graphite as opposed to charcoal that I have used a lot in the past. I work on un-stretched canvas and texture is an important part of my artworks and also hanging them free and without frames has also become a part of the finished artwork.

How vital is conservation in your opinion? Have you observed changes in the places you’ve painted previously?

Conservation is significant. I think we need to look at it logically though, and not emotively. Even though it is an emotive subject.

We are from the earth; the earth is part of us this planet is our home; we have nowhere viable to go at this point in our history. The human race seems very focused on self-destruction. Nature is the key to survival and our connection to nature.

I think that one of the places that you really notice visible changes at the moment are in the mountainous areas. In Europe we watch the glaciers change visibly each year, and are melting quicker than ever before. The permafrost in the Alps is melting and resulting in more frequent rock falls, in France, Switzerland, Italy and also here in Austria.

If Jessie was a force of nature, what would she be?

I would be a bird, the wind, the clouds, and mountain strength. END