Meet Jesi Pace-Berkeley | Artist/ educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jesi Pace-Berkeley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jesi, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Sharing not only my paintings , and also my expertise allows me to spread the wealth of natural inspirations , lifetime experiences , and necessary questions

Creativity , its ability to transform and express concepts – both personal as well as globally empties oneself into a well of thoughts , considerations and
understanding .

Only by offering myself, my process , my beliefs might I contribute to a wider area of expressive language

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I paint backwards.

That may not sound avant- guard in this age where anyone can invent or “do “ anything ,…then instantly share that idea to the world ,…

however in the 70’s my “ backwards “ style was quite unique. . I apply the darkest darks first .

It did not try hurt that my paintings are 7-8 feet tall and I am only 5’1”!

As a self taught watercolorist of large format , contemporary faces / figures , I knew I could draw

However, after viewing a one person exhibit by Helen Frankenthaler , the challenge of glorious, evocative color became the element I most wanted to master .

Multiple layers of strong valued color became my forte and watercolor provided just the right transparent to opaque consistency I needed to express my thoughts.

To provide a “ break “ for the eye, I intentionally left area of white paper open in order for the viewer to complete some passages in their mind’s eye .

No one else in Tidewater VA was working as large or powerfully.

Beach homes during the 70/80’s housing bubble often had open formats with tall ceilings . I began to be one of the painters to collect .

However, what I never admitted until many years later was each was it’s own version of my personal journal . A day in my life …only the fairly illegible wording scratched vertically along the edges of the paper revealed clues ….

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would return to the South of France where we would paint en plein air as I-have done times in recent years

We would embrace the cobalt blue, Mediterranean sky mid morning and fill our well with color and nuance of that fabulous sunshine , We would paint until breaking at midday to feast with others at an outdoor cafe or market , sharing our paintings, ourselves …then return to our village for the culinary mastery of our hostess .

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Dr.Gladstone Hill, John Tucker, Mark Epstein, Carolyn Gianetti , Peyton Berkeley and Thom Holian ,…

All of whose support and encouragement helped make my artistic dream a reality.

Website: www.jesipace-berkeley.com

Instagram: Jesi Pace-Berkeley

Linkedin: Jesi Pace-Berkeley

Facebook: Jessica Angle Pace- Berkeley

Other: 506 Stonegate Drive Blacksburg, VA 24060 jpbartist1@aol.com