Jesse Simon

Jesse Simon's first solo show opened at Patricia Faure gallery this weekend. There is never a clear path toward any artist's first solo show, but Simon's is particularly interesting. Known for his skill as a graffiti artist and member of the KGB crew, he influenced contemporary artists such as Gajin Fujita and Alex Kizu (K2S crew). Simon spent his early days creating graffiti art for movies such as 1988's "Colors" and did other design work including billboards and movie posters. But Simon's range as an artist extended beyond the world of graffiti and design. In 1996 He received his BFA from California College of Arts and Crafts, and in 2001 He received his MFA in painting from Hunter College. In the fall of that same year, Jesse had achieved what few artists do, coverage of his work in the three major art-world periodicals and an invitation to participate in the Dave Hickey curated "Site Santa Fe's Beau Monde." Around this time Jesse's other passion, surfing, had also begun to influence his work. Struck by the raw material of the inner foam of his broken surf boards, Jesse began utilizing the material to create abstract work that straddled the line between painting and sculpture. The new work began to develop as Simon painstakingly and patiently sanded the surfaces, creating luminescent objects that were both mysterious and beautiful. Today, Simon has taken his work to yet another level, utilizing pigments and resin to create a diverse field of surfaces and colors. His new paintings on view at the Patricia Faure Gallery are seductive in their construction and are inspiring in their sparse compositions. For more images visit the galleries site.