This is John-John Jesse

John-John Jesse has been one of my favorite artists since my art school years. That certain mix of strung out beauty and teenage angst in his works really spoke to me. Needless to say I was very stoked when he agreed to do an interview for DOZE.

Interview by Crist Espiritu.
Artworks by John-John Jesse.

The Story of My Life, John-John Jesse
The Story of My Life, John-John Jesse

When and where did you start doing art? Are you self taught or did you go to art school? Did you always know that you’re gonna do art professionally?

Hi. Doing artwork, drawing and painting is something I always could do since i was little… I didn’t go to school nor did I even finish high school… I dropped out at 15, formed my punk band Nausea in the mid 80s and spent a lot of my life touring. I never planned or had a career path as a painter. I got clean off heroin and whiskey about 11 years ago… and to keep somewhat stable and sane between NA meetings I started painting. The career and success came on its own naturally. I’m not a self-promoter or someone who mails out submissions.

Who are your influences… people who you admired when you started doing art?

No one guided me too much art wise as far as art heroes but I LOVE Jamie Reid (did all the cut and paste artwork for the Sex Pistols) and the Vivienne Westwood Seditionaries fashion from the late 70s for the Sex Pistols. As far as painters… I like the old masters like Carravagio.

Can you remember when you started getting recognition? Tell me about the first time you exhibited your works?

Pretty immediately. I just showed locally around NYC at CBGB’s gallery and parties and things fell into place very well.

I’ve read some articles about you a couple of years back and learned that you’re in a punk rock band and the punk lifestyle really seeped through your art. What aspects of that certain lifestyle did you find so inspiring that it lead to art making? Why did you think it will be a good recurring theme in your art?

My punk rock lifestyle didn’t inspire my work intentionally. I am who I am, that’s it… always been the same… tough shit. Punk is a lifestyle and counter culture so since my work is my autobiography it’s only natural elements of that fill it in on its own.

Besides the punk culture, where else do you derive your images from? I see a whole bunch of images in your paintings like crowns, superheroes, Japanese characters etc. How do you choose what images to put in your paintings?

I don’t think too much, I just do. I don’t sketch or plan very much at all beside shooting pics of the model for the painting.

I saw your latest painting on your fan page yesterday. The title was “Faces of Me” which, if you don’t mind me saying, looks a bit more “calm” compared to your other works. What’s the story behind this painting? Why did you choose those faces for that painting?

“Calm” or “Edgy”… who gives a rat’s ass. I’m the guy 3rd from the top. It’s all my faces inside. It was done exclusively for a group exhibit I am in at Opera Gallery in NYC Soho in Januaury.

Faces of Me, John-John Jesse
Faces of Me, John-John Jesse

What gets you going…what gets you hype to do art?

Large cups of coffee and diet coke and packs of cigarettes.

This may sound a bit cheesy but I always ask this whenever I meet other artists: What do you think is an artist’s role in the global community?

I’m not trying to change the world, nor am I throwing around words like “green”… I realized from being a very idealistic anarchist squatter a lot of my life that trying to change the world is pointless when we can’t even get along with our neighbors in our own damn country.

Where do you think art is headed?

Hopefully to the bank for the younger artists i know!

So what’s next for John John Jesse? Any upcoming projects that you’d like to let us know?

Well there’s that Group show at Opera Gallery and I’m poking around trying to find the right publishing deal for a nice hardcover coffee table book of my works.

Follow John-John Jesse on Instagram @johnjohnjesse
Follow Crist Espiritu on Twitter and Instagram @crist_espiritu

Revenge, John-John Jesse
Revenge, John-John Jesse
My Only Friends, John-John Jesse
My Only Friends, John-John Jesse
La Liberta, John-John Jesse
La Liberta, John-John Jesse
C is for Crucifix, John-John Jesse
C is for Crucifix, John-John Jesse
100 Proof, John-John Jesse
100 Proof, John-John Jesse
Summer of '84, John-John Jesse
Summer of '84, John-John Jesse