Jesse Willyerd

My most recent body of work represents many experiments and ideas surrounding the horse as a powerful figure.  I experimented with ways that color can enhance feeling.

Horses are the subject I choose, not only because I am in love with their structure, but because of their expressive nature. I have spent much of my life around horses and their honesty always humbles me. I love to watch the way they play and interact with one another, but I receive the highest satisfaction when they allow me into their world to explore with them. Just being near them is an experience that I have no way of describing with words, and so my paintings come into being.

It is my desire as an artist to show my audience what I see. I love to look into the shadows and find colors and value changes that are easily overlooked if one only focuses on the light. By bringing beauty to the shadows that describe the form I hope to bring awareness to the idea that both light and dark are equal components in creating the whole. A well placed burst of color can draw you in and keep you hooked on the beautiful curves that envelop the equine form. I hope this body of work can help you to slow down and take in the value of the whole picture, light and dark, there is beauty everywhere.

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Jessie Willyerd is best known for her colorful acrylic paintings and pastel drawings that merge together abstract elements and realistic equine forms. Her intent is to capture a moment in time in which an emotion can be realized. She believes that the horse is a powerful symbol representing the capacity we all hold for change and growth through the freedom to discover and be who we truly are.

Jessie’s formal education came from the University of Wisconsin, River Falls and the University of Wisconsin Whitewater, where she studied liberal arts and art education respectively. She taught art at the elementary level for five years and was a graphic designer for three years before pursuing art full time in 2017. She resides in Janesville, Wisconsin with her husband, two dogs, and four horses.

To learn more about Jessie's exhibition at Raven's Wish, CLICK HERE.

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