Q: What is your full name and do you have any nicknames that you go by as an artist?

A: Jessica Murrieta, sometimes Jessica M.

Q: How old are you and are you currently, planning to, or have attended art school?

A: I’m 26, I studied Fashion Design in San Francisco and I am studying Fine Arts now.

Q: Where were you raised and does this play a role in your artwork?

A:  I was raised in the Sacramento Delta,  it’s only 20 minutes away from downtown Sacramento but, far away from other neighborhoods. There weren’t any children around when I was growing up and so I drew as a child and I never stopped! Also, the natural beauty and mysterious atmosphere of the delta provided me with great inspiration!

Q: Who and what inspires your art? Besides the usual answer such as family and life? 

A: Besides the usual answer such as family and life? Cinema; Italian Giallo, French New Wave, the Golden Age of Slashers, Noir, no remakes. Fashion; color, texture, shape, a silhouette. Recently I’ve been inspired by locale and time, such as California during the Gold Rush, New York during the Industrial Revolution, etc. I’m inspired by rotting mansions and crumbling factories, remnants of an abandoned lifestyle, very American and very haunting. These elements will work their way into my paintings in time.

Q: What is the first thing that pops in your head when you wake up in the morning?

A: Frantically trying to recall and piece together the nightmare I had before, followed by “Ahh! what time is is it!?”

Q: When was the first time you remember drawing something as a child and, what was it?

A: I have no idea! I’ve always drawn constantly. Two of my younger siblings, Chad and Chelsea, are pursuing art in their own ways. My siblings and I always drew together. I remember when Mortal Kombat came out for the Sega Genesis, I drew a series of female ninjas. I would draw extravagant gowns and portraits. My mom had a beautiful cedar chest where she would put drawings and paintings that I made. Around age 8 I began deciding what art work I wanted her to keep and I would sneak it into her cedar chest. I would take drawings off the refrigerator and replace them with new ones on a regular basis.

Q: How would you describe your art?

A: Very tedious works on paper!

Q: When you encounter an artistic slump; how do you come out of it?

A: I work through it, always. Sometimes it might take longer to get the results I want, but I am okay with that. I’ve learned to have patience with myself. If something is going really badly and I am making too many mistakes, I’ll stop. I’ve learned to expect and accept off days, they just happen.

Q: If you would send out a message in a bottle for the next generation of artists to read, what would it say?

A: Don’t copy trends, don’t use graphic editing software to fool people into thinking something is a real painting when it isn’t! Look to the old masters and into art history for inspiration and knowledge, instead of your peers.

Q: What art tools can’t you live without and why?

A: Arches watercolor paper, Winsor and Newton’s artist grade watercolors (especially neutral tint), Krylon’s 18k gold leaf pen, granulation medium, very tiny brushes, Prismacolor col-erase colored pencils, and color theory knowledge!

Q: What non-art items can’t you live without?

A: California! I’m a native Californian, I love it here. It’s the land of milk and honey, Northern California has so much natural beauty. I am moving to Seattle and I am making the most of my time here. Also, my favorite soft leather boots, crisp white button up shirts, black jeans, espresso, weather.com, the occasional mind altering experience, my Olympus Trip 35,  netflix, my family, water!

Q: How personal do you get in your artwork?

A:  My art work embodies my fears and insecurities. When my parents divorced my dad became a Jehovah’s Witness. I went to his church every now and then, and because the sermons weren’t really written with a child’s psyche in mind, they left a strange impression on me. They believe that the afterlife is living forever in a youthful state in a paradise on earth. I’ve had a hard time coming to to terms with the fact that I am going to die. I cannot accept my mortality.

Q: What is your biggest motivation as an artist? This is different from inspiration, what I ’m asking is what makes you pick up that brush, pencil, pen ect…?

A: It’s habit, fear, solace. At the heart of my motivation is the fear that I might die before I paint my next idea.

Q: What is your favorite movie and book?

A:I have so many of both! I have a huge collection of art books, everything from artist’s memoirs, art history, to art technique and materials. I love Bukowski, Huxley, Hunter S. Thompson, Kerouac, Burroughs, and Ginsberg. I love the Romantic era of the arts; the composers, artists, poets and Gothic novelists. In terms of film; David Lynch, George Romero, Roman Polanski, Alfred Hitchcock, British Hammer horror, Federico Fellini, Jean Luc Godard, Dario Argento, John Carpenter, Jim Van Bebber, Lucio Fulci, David Cronenberg, Francoise Truffaut, and Ingmar Bergman.

Q: What are you listening to on your iPod right now, and does music play a role in your art?

A: My husband is a musician and so music always plays a role in everything I do, whether I want it to or not! We talk about our ideas and share the same inspirations and motivation. On our ipods/turntable is Cocteau Twins first two albums, Lady Gaga,  Pleasure Principle era Gary Numan, Front 242, Kraftwerk, Christian Death, Don Caballero, Skinny Puppy, Altered Images, OMD, Joy Division, The Smiths, Ultravox, Chrome, Billy Cobham, Rick James, Francoise Hardy, France Gall, The Mary Jane Girls, Judas Priest, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Yes, Chelsea Wolfe, Times of Desperation, Wah Wah Exit Wound, I can go on forever!

Q: How do you feel when you are working on an art piece in terms or feelings, emotions?

A: Watercolor requires intense concentration, every ounce of my being is focused on the tip of my brush! still,  I feel very at peace when I paint.

Q: Besides your art; are there any hobbies that you like to indulge in?

A: Photography. Tennis. I have several professional and amateur photographers in my family and it’s something we all enjoy. I started taking photos around age 12, my Dad taught me and when I was a teenager my uncle, an architectural photographer, gave me a job in his studio and eventually I began to assist him in photoshoots. We shot 4x5 Kodak sheet film! On the weekends, my younger brothers, my dad, and I would hike and explore the Sierra Nevada’s and the foothills taking pictures. My mother was born here and raised in Germany, she has over 2,500 slides taken by grandparents while they were living in Europe, including photos of my extended family in Sweden. I’ve always had a special fondness for family photos.

Q: Is social media (blogs, myspace, facebook) and the internet in your words good for the art world. And for you as an artist?

A: I think we all know it’s a double edged sword. The internet gives you access to art all over the world, it’s rich with resources. My favorite s are http://www.artstor.org/ and http://www.artdaily.org. At the same time, I feel that the art world has become somewhat homogenized because of it.

Q: There is an big issue with people posting art and photographs on social networking sites (including tumblr ) without giving credit to the artist. What are your thoughts on this and has it ever happened to you?

A: Yes! on tumblr specifically, I never realized until I searched for it, but it’s out there. Also, I notice when people reblog my artwork and delete all of my information which happens often enough. It’s so rude and I can’t believe people have the nerve to do that! Please credit the artist!

Q: Where could people be able to find your art?

A:  http://jessicamurrieta.tumblr.com and  http://www.flickr.com/jessica-m

Q: Any advice to give to other artists out there?

A: Go for whats real and original. Paint what you love and what you know. If you don’t know what that is, just starting working, you’ll figure it out.

Q: Is there anything else you’ll like to say?

A: Thank you!