JESSE ROSS

Jesse Ross's paintings resonate with a quiet power, where atavistic narratives intertwine with the restless energy of contemporary expression. As a person of predominantly settler heritage (English and Scottish) as well as a member of the Stó:lō Nation, Ross navigates the complex terrain of selfhood and becoming through a lens of figuration, embodied knowledge, and deliberate indeterminacy, using these elements as pathways toward artistic and personal transformation.

Based in Vancouver, Ross's practice is characterized by a rigorous exploration of surface and materiality. His MFA in Visual Arts from the University of British Columbia, where he was awarded the prestigious SSHRC Graduate Scholarship, provided a fertile ground for his investigations.

Ross's unique methodology begins with raw canvas, meticulously prepared with a volatile admixture of ammonia, paint, and water. This process is not simply technical; it's a deeply considered engagement with the materials. The canvas, carefully treated, becomes a site of creative possibility, where pigment and water interact to create evocative forms. Pigments bleed and bloom, creating ghostly trails reminiscent of insect wings or the slow creep of lichen across ancient stone. Crackle patterns, like the delicate crazing of a centuries-old ceramic, hint at the passage of time and the inherent fragility of form. He coaxes organic forms from the canvas, where pigments mingle and separate, creating landscapes of the mind. The resulting textures invite a tactile exploration, even from afar.

This embrace of indeterminacy is central to Ross's artistic vision. Forms emerge from the swirling pigments, only to dissolve back into the abstract landscape, suggesting the fluidity of identity and the constant process of becoming. A figure might be hinted at, a suggestion of a face or a body, but never fully resolved, inviting the viewer to participate in the act of interpretation. This deliberate ambiguity allows for a dynamic dialogue between perception and representation, inviting viewers to engage with the work on both an emotional and intellectual level. It acknowledges the inherent subjectivity of experience and the impossibility of fixed meanings.