We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessie Rodriguez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessie, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Staying true to myself in the work that I put out in the world. This means allowing myself the space to play, and giving myself the time to experiment from when an idea is formed to the completion of a piece. It is important to me to make space for creativity to exist in all parts of the process. From carving prints, to arranging them on a page or moving them in an animation, to editing. My art is in a state of constant reinvention, and risk taking. I try not to be limited by worrying about where it will fit in, and prefer to work from a place of allowing myself to bring something new and unique to life.

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.

My artwork is a blend of mediums. It started with printmaking, then I began cutting my prints out and turning them into stop motion animations about five years ago.  I consider myself a DIY artist, often self taught and experiment with new techniques with each piece I make. I use my animations as a vehicle for storytelling, each one unique to what is being shared.

The wonderful thing about animation is that it can appear in so many unique places. It has been projected on a clocktower downtown in Denver and appeared on a large outdoor LED screen through an animation film fest. It has shown up on stage as part of a variety show,  I have created a music video, put my work inside a peep show box in a circus themed gallery, and exhibited stills from my animations as prints. Part of this work is finding unique venues to reach audiences that often extend beyond traditional gallery settings.

My story as an artist is very much a work in progress. I spent many years working in jobs that left little space for creativity, I’m very grateful to be on the path to my art out there. I am happy for the progress that I’ve made but I also look at the and all the places I would love to see my work and the pieces I still want to create. It’s just an ongoing process of learning, trying things and figuring out where I fit into it all.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Denver is a city of many pockets, with a divide of all of the new places that have emerged over the past 10-15 years and the old haunts. I am a fan of the classics, and often mourn all of the lost places that have gone under due to high rents and gentrification. I make a concerted effort to seek out old Denver places that have managed to hang on. We would surely go by the PS lounge for a rose and a pink shot. Sing a song at the piano bar, Charlie Browns. Perhaps a trip to Lakeside amusement park for death defying rides on the wild chipmunk. We would have to swing by my home away from home, the Denver Tool Library to admire an artful display of hammer drills. We would seek out the Ouija grave at Fairmount cemetery, placed by the Talking Board society. And finally a trip down Santa Fe Drive for a First Friday art walk.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Part of being an artist has very much meant being surrounded by community, support is key to keeping things going. My partner, my art studio mates at Real Eyes Studio and our community of friends and artists are a huge part of this for me. The Colorado art communities where I have found paths to get my art out there; Sideshow Studios, Optica Lingua Studios, Raices, Night Lights Denver, the Denver Digirati Fest and Longmont Out Loud. I’m grateful to publications such as Not Real Art and Voyage Mag for giving me space to share what I do. And last, a big thanks to my former professor, Garrison Roots who always pushed me to examine the art I made from all angles and to never settle for anything that didn’t represent my full voice.

Website: jessierodriguezart.com

Instagram: @jessierodriguez.art

Other: https://vimeo.com/handprintedmovies

Image Credits
Headshot Credit: Michael Ensminger All other photos taken by myself.

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.