CUSP GALLERY – June 6, 5:00 – 8:00 PM

Opening Reception: Jim Heskett, New England Emerging Artist exhibition “Light, Dark, Water”

Jim Heskett
Charlestown, Massachusetts
jheskett.com; @heskettart

https://www.instagram.com/heskettart/ 

10 Emerging Artists 2023

While Jim has spent his career in the world of events and corporate travel, he never turned his back on his art. Now more than ever, Jim is focusing on his true talent and passion and that is evident in his latest work which takes the viewer to a pensive and introspective space, balancing the elements of light and dark. As if tapping into a part of each of us that we continue to navigate and embrace. The nostalgic aesthetic of Jim’s paintings begs the question:

“Is he an old soul or battling with an internal struggle that we can all relate to yet is difficult to articulate?” Reminiscent of old English/Dutch masters like J.M.W. Turner and George Philip Reinagle. — Curtis Speer, owner, CUSP Gallery + Lifestyle, Newport, RI.

Jim Heskett has found balance. At home in New England, in charming Charlestown, MA, he balances a job managing travel logistics for a rolodex of private clients while pursuing his art. “I was always compelled to come to New England, specifically Boston… It’s a very empowering place to be. I love the severe changes in the seasons. I love the darkness of wintertime.” Heskett is at an exciting point in his life: his art career is gaining momentum and well-deserved recognition. A recent party guest happened to be a gallerist and there’s buzz of a potential show this year.

Applying the word “emerging” to an artist always sparks an interesting exchange. The fun is found in broadening the definition. “Emerging” breaks age barriers—Heskett is 64. “I think of myself as always emerging. There have been times where I’ve made lots of art and there’s times I’ve stepped away from it. And then it always, always calls me back…”

“I honestly can’t remember a time when I didn’t make art,” Heskett continues. While at college, he says, art drew him in. “I’m one of those people that loves those little black bound sketchbooks. I think I’ve always had one with me. I am inspired by things that are from the natural world… I’m very much a classicist painter in the sense that I believe in craft and technique and understanding what paint can do if you understand the medium.”

Heskett recently embarked on a journey that lead him into color study, devising self-inflicted artistic challenges en route, where he found a deeper understanding of his own eye and voice. We discussed four paintings, beginning 15 years ago to the present, where Heskett’s immersion into and then extraction from intense color work was reflected. “I decided to switch from a white background to black—with everything black or a mixture of blacks and work from dark into the light or into wherever it’s going to take me. I’m so used to thinking through layering color to create darker and darker areas and to create shadows but still there are reds and greens in the shad-ows. I’m going to completely flip this whole thing around and see where it takes me.” The results are sensuous and mystical.

Jim Heskett, Light Breaks Through #8, 2023, acrylic, 36 x 48″. Courtesy of the artist.

Discussing art with an artist is illuminating—even journalists learn new words. Like pareidolia. “I came across this in a novel and thought that could be my signature word,” Heskett explains. “It’s a psychological experience when your mind looks at an image and you see something in it. I have acute pareidolia. While other people look up in the sky and say, ‘That looks like a rabbit’, I look up and say, ‘Wow, that looks like a beaver pulling a chariot with a silencer.’ Heskett is also hilarious, possessing a wit only self-awareness can sharpen.

So here he stands, consumed with artistic curiosity and introspection. And contentment. “Maybe the good thing is, [success] didn’t happen immediately. Now I have something to show that’s new and fresh. I do think there is serendipity in life. And it pays to try out new paintings on your party guests.” — Rita A. Fucillo

Curtis Speer
CUSP GALLERY
51 Touro St
Newport, RI 02840
www.cuspgallery.com
www.curtisspeer.com
nac@newportartistcollective.com
p. 323.513.3161