Interview
Jessie Pitt
Jessie was born in Melbourne, Australia. She studied at TAFE, where she completed an Associate Diploma in visual art, majoring in printmaking.
Jessie’s artwork is inspired by the natural environment; the wild places untouched, or seemingly untouched by human hands. Humanity’s connection to the earth is something she feels strongly about. She believes this connection is important to rediscover ourselves, especially now when our environment is at risk and therefore humanity is at risk as well.
Jessie lives, and has spent much of her life in the mountains, and this is where her inspiration from nature originates. Through the changing moods, the winds that blow, a bird’s cry, the storms, the light, the silence, the flowing water of the rivers, the snow.
Jessie has exhibited her work in England, Australia, Austria, Italy, France, Germany, and Spain. She has work in private collections throughout Europe, Australia, and the USA.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I currently live and work in the mountains in Tirol, Austria. Art has always been a part of my life since a child, and my progression into being an artist was organic. I never had a defining moment of deciding, ‘I am now an artist’.
I studied art for two years in Australia after high school. I then traveled most of my adult life between winters in the Southern and Northern hemispheres.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“The underlying theme in my work is connection. How we, as humans, view and see our place in the world. To acknowledge that we are a part of all life on earth, and every action we take has a reaction. We do not live in a bubble, separate from the rest of life on our planet.
Everything is connected: moments, time, earth, nature and humanity. My Connection Project is where I take my paintings back out into nature, install them there and document them. Whether it’s winter or summer, skiing or hiking, I have taken my art back into the places that inspired them. The artworks are an ongoing series of paintings that I’ve been working on since 2020, and are rich in symbolism.
My other big ongoing project is my Glacier Series, which are large-scale paintings of glaciers that by the time I’ve painted them, have already changed and possibly disappeared. So they are really memories of glaciers that are no more. We are losing our glaciers at such a fast pace worldwide, and where I live in Tirol, you can see with the naked eye how rapidly they are melting from year to year. These paintings are the moments of glaciers; the memory of glaciers and the passing of time.”
“Time features strongly in my paintings. It is fleeting, never-ending, reoccurring and heavy. We are all just moments, like raindrops in an ocean.
But we are part of, and connected to what has been before, and what will be in the future. This is symbolized through the circle of sticks, and the birds, and also through the mountains’ timelessness, strength and peace.”
How would you describe your work?
“My works are moments in time, fleeting… gone… captured. It’s a reflection of what I see and feel. It’s a connection to those places on earth that have not experienced the human touch. It’s a collection of timeless moments.”
Which artists influence you most?
“I honestly do not feel very influenced by any specific artist. I know what I like, and what I don’t like. However, I’ve most likely been influenced without being conscious of the fact, as no one lives in a bubble. But really, nature is, and remains my biggest inspiration.”
What is your creative process like?
"I carry my camera around with me all the time to capture moments that can be so fleeting — those moments that last for a second or two. Some images stay in my mind and possibly become artworks. This is how my glacier series started.
I usually have an idea of what I would like from nature, but often nature gives me something that I did not expect which leads me in new directions. My photos are the beginning, the paintings are the end.
I work with powdered charcoal, graphite, ink and acrylic on canvas that is deliberately textured and unframed. I use a mix of drawing and painting techniques. I’ve also started to use and explore new mediums and ways of exhibiting with video, sound, movement, and installation. I like to create immersive spaces, which is a continuation of willing people to immerse themselves in the natural world through my art, and get something back from it.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“An artist’s role in society is so diverse. It is to show a different way of seeing, of being. It’s to create something that touches the soul and inspires a different way of thinking. Artists offer a visual journey — a window into a different world.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I have had the following solo exhibitions:
2019 Everything is Connected, Installation, Filmfest St.Anton, Austria.
2017 STILLE, Alpinarium, Galtür, Tirol, Austria.
2014 Light, Shadows, Silence - Jessie Pitt - Kunst Werk Raum Mesnerhaus, Mieming, Austria.
I’ve had the following group exhibitions:
The Other Art Fair - London, LA, Sydney.
2021 Slow Wave - Film - WUK, Intakt Galerie, Vienna.
2017 'Ich am Gipfel. Einen Alpinfrauengeschichte', Frauenmuseum Hittisau, Austria and the Frauenmuseum Meran, Meran, Italy.”
