b. 1983, York, PA

Jess Engle is a contemplative abstract painter based in Austin, Texas. Her work is a living exploration of the essence of peace as a unifying force within all things.

She spent her formative years living in Pakistan, Germany, Ethiopia, Cyprus, Malawi, South Africa, and Togo. Each place has left an imprint on her spirit and informs her aesthetic sensibility.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Jess works with the guiding principle that true peace can only be found through realizing the harmony of opposing forces. This is a way of moving through art and life that is informed by her lifelong study of wisdom traditions combined with her daily practice of Sōtō Zen.

There is a direct meeting of light and dark, subtle and overt, raw and refined, solidity and weightlessness, the eternal and present moment that gives each piece a life force of its own.

PROCESS

The most important element in Jess Engle’s work is time. Her works are created in layers of building up and breaking down over seasons of months and sometimes years.

Jess experiences creation as a process of becoming. A passage through space and time. A way of living between worlds. A way of moving in concert with life. A way of bridging different views and perspectives. And a way of fostering peace in times of polarity.