Rarely do Chris Jeszeck’s paintings turn out the way she intended, but that’s part of why she enjoys acrylic pouring so much.
“Even when a fluid artist sets out with something in mind to create, it rarely goes according to plan,” the Lompoc local said. “It can turn out wonderfully right or terribly wrong. I liken it to opening a present each time—you don’t know what you’re going to get.”
While many of her abstract fluid paintings are the direct result of acrylic pouring, Jeszeck also incorporates the method to create the backgrounds of her semi-realistic pieces, she explained.
One of her latest paintings, for example, Carefree, is clearly a portrait of a goggled swimmer, a character Jeszeck painted over one of her acrylic pours, after it dried. This abstract pour is full of blues, greens, and bubbles; it’s easy to see why Jeszeck chose to make a seascape out of it.
“Sometimes I will intentionally pour a background to suit a subject I have in mind, or sometimes the pour itself will suggest an embellishment,” the artist said. “Sometimes I just have a desire to paint a particular subject and will look through my dried pours to find a suitable background.”
Carefree and similar paintings by Jeszeck can be found in her latest exhibition, Color Connections, presented by the Lompoc Valley Art Association. This solo exhibit premiered at the Cypress Gallery on July 2 and will remain on display through July 25.
“Above all, I am attracted to color,” Jeszeck said, hence the show’s title. “Placing color upon a canvas can convey a mood and provoke feelings in the viewer, and hopefully a connection to the art itself.
“Color selection and placement can affect feelings, attention, behavior, and learning,” she explained. “For example, green improves concentration; orange is a mood lifter—a vibrant color that demands attention; blue is shown to increase productivity; and so on.”
One rule Jeszeck usually sets for herself is to only use a limited palette of colors (usually not more than five colors in one piece), she said. And there’s a 99 percent chance one of those is going to be some shade of blue.
“I use blue in nearly every painting, as it is probably my favorite and there are so many gorgeous shades of it,” Jeszeck said. “I love bright colors. I stay away from very dark color palettes for the most part, as we have enough darkness in the world; I’d rather bring some light. That’s pretty corny sounding, but it’s true.”
While her intentions for any given piece can often change mid-painting, one goal that remains a constant for Jeszeck as an artist is “to make the viewer smile,” she said.
“I feel fulfilled when I can bring a bit of joy to whomever takes the time to look at my art,” said the local artist, who has lived in Lompoc since the late 1980s.
Between 1992 and 2017, Jeszeck was a prolific member of the Lompoc Civic Theatre (LCT), directing and acting in several shows with the troupe, before retiring from community theater to pursue painting.
“It was just time to move on,” said Jeszeck, who starred in The Boys Next Door, Nunsense, Wally’s Cafe, and other LCT productions. “As far as acting, I have no desire to return to it. I have a YouTube channel teaching fluid art, and I suppose I do a bit of acting there and it’s enough.”
Jeszeck said she feels like she’s grown “by leaps and bounds” as an artist over the past four years, but she’s continuously eager to learn new techniques and approaches.
“I just wish I could buy more time, as there is so much more I want to learn and explore in the world of art,” the painter said.
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood also wishes time was a commodity. Send comments to cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 15-22, 2021.