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Bio
Jessie Novik is a Brooklyn-based fine art painter and muralist working within the tradition of imaginative realism. She received her BFA from Alfred University (2009) where she studied painting and sculpture, and her masters in Art Therapy from Pratt Institute (2014). Previously splitting her professional focus between painting and art therapy, she currently works as a Scenic Artist (local829) and decorative painter in addition to her work as a muralist and fine artist. She has worked for Disney creating custom background portraits as well as several other TV and film productions. In her personal work, Jessie blends classical technique with surreal ideation. She filters objects, figures and landscapes from her environment through her rich imagination, composing scenes that are socially relevant and personally evocative. Although she prefers traditional methods of oil painting, she is trained and experienced in a variety of mediums and techniques. She has exhibited work nationally and regularly paints murals throughout New York. Notable mural sites include: Mt. Sinai Children's Hospital, NY Health+Hospitals, 72+Sunny, Harlem RBI, Manhattan College, NYC Family Court, and many more. Additionally, she has taught graduate-level courses on mural painting and Art Therapy at Pratt Institute and regularly leads community mural projects with various organizations. Jessie loves engaging with the public to create large-scale, meaningful works of art. Besides making art and fostering creative development in others, Jessie has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a third degree black belt in Karate. She teaches self-defense to adults and children. Jessie is passionate about teaching practical skills and feels strongly that both art and martial arts uphold an infinite capacity for healing. |
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Artist Statement
Like many artists, I have an overactive imagination. Elaborate ideas for landscapes, characters, objects and narratives swim through my thoughts incessantly, often precluding concentration on mundane tasks. I am an excessive daydreamer, addicted to the surreal, and making art is how I resolve the tension between focus and fantasy.
I find inspiration in the landscape of my thoughts, pulling faded memories and fantastical visions from one side of reality to the other with classical technique. My struggle to focus is an asset that has helped to expand my artistic approach and keeps my process fresh and ever-evolving. Consistent with my style, I move as seamlessly between subjects and mediums as I do between fantasy and reality, from figurative oil painting, to large-scale community-based and commercial mural projects, to more loosely painted watercolor sketches. Fantasy is not just an escape, it is a realm in which complex social and emotional issues— often difficult to navigate in the present— become personal and accessible.
As a classically schooled artist, I care deeply about craft and technique, while my training as an art therapist adds a level of emotional and psychological insight to my work, Playful and dynamic, my work is an invitation to my audience, to follow me back into the dreamscapes and refuges— lost to many— that I work to keep alive.
Like many artists, I have an overactive imagination. Elaborate ideas for landscapes, characters, objects and narratives swim through my thoughts incessantly, often precluding concentration on mundane tasks. I am an excessive daydreamer, addicted to the surreal, and making art is how I resolve the tension between focus and fantasy.
I find inspiration in the landscape of my thoughts, pulling faded memories and fantastical visions from one side of reality to the other with classical technique. My struggle to focus is an asset that has helped to expand my artistic approach and keeps my process fresh and ever-evolving. Consistent with my style, I move as seamlessly between subjects and mediums as I do between fantasy and reality, from figurative oil painting, to large-scale community-based and commercial mural projects, to more loosely painted watercolor sketches. Fantasy is not just an escape, it is a realm in which complex social and emotional issues— often difficult to navigate in the present— become personal and accessible.
As a classically schooled artist, I care deeply about craft and technique, while my training as an art therapist adds a level of emotional and psychological insight to my work, Playful and dynamic, my work is an invitation to my audience, to follow me back into the dreamscapes and refuges— lost to many— that I work to keep alive.