quadriparous

Jesse Jones is an emerging artist and member of the Brisbane Outsider Artists studio. He works primarily in acrylic, ink, and watercolour. His influences include post-impressionist and surrealist painters and contemporary illustrators such as Ralph Steadman. 

Jesse lives with bipolar disorder as well as chronic physical illnesses. Despite having prosopagnosia (face-blindness), he enjoys creating pop art-style portraits and expressing himself through self-portraiture. Much of his work explores themes of health and the body. He aims to challenge ideas about gender and self, as well as portray experiences of physical and mental illness. 

Jesse divides his time between home and various hospitals. He began painting as creative therapy during an inpatient psychiatric admission.

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An occasional supporting character in my life, the subject of this painting is around my age and makes me wonder how things might have turned out for me in another universe. Like most of my portraits, this one has a strong gonzo influence. The title is a Latin-derived term meaning ’no sleep’.