Daily Inspiration: Meet John Paul Kesling

Today we’d like to introduce you to John Paul Kesling.  

Hi John, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Like most kids, I loved drawing cartoon characters and inventing my own. In elementary school, my younger brother asked me to draw him the Batman symbol. Then he asked for another one. Then another. I found out he was selling them to his friends at school. At first, it hurt my feelings that he wasn’t keeping the gifts I made him. But then I thought “wow, people like my drawings”. Cool beans! Skipping ahead, I got engaged to my high-school sweetheart, started college studying to be a Physician’s Assistant so I could be financially stable, got un-engaged because she got a crush on a guy that sang a cover of Bush’s “Glycerine” at a talent show, changed my major to art because I didn’t need money for a family anymore, earned my undergraduate degree and finally received my MFA in Painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2010. I moved to Brooklyn for six years, learned a lot, worked a lot of jobs, learned I needed space and time to create, and moved to Nashville. I’ve been here for almost six years and am making more work than I ever thought was possible. I now have a dog and a new girlfriend. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
An art career was not smooth. Ever. NYC was tough. While the art and people were amazing and everywhere, my financial struggles were endless. I always had several jobs and side-hustles and couldn’t manage my time properly. I was never IN the work like I am now. My one steady gig only paid $10/hr. This would have been decent in 1975 but it was 2015. I secretly squatted for six months in my SHARED art studio (sorry y’all) and bathed in a small garbage can. And getting anybody to look at your work without knowing any of the cool kids was next to impossible. It was overwhelmingly saturated when I got there and the Kool-Aid didn’t have room for more sugar. But I learned a lot and the Flat Iron Building is always breathtaking. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a multidisciplinary artist working in painting, sculpture, video, and performance. My main focus is on painting but I’ll bring in other media if the project calls for it. I’m most proud of my use of humor and experimentation in visual language. I’m most known for my use of color in figurative works, portraits, and landscapes. I think what sets me apart is my desire to work where I’m most uncomfortable. That’s where you have the most to learn. I don’t like knowing what I’m doing or what’s on the other side. The most dynamic place to be is where the top of the of ocean meets the bottom of sky. 

Currently I am working on a series of portraits of people from my hometown in Northeastern Kentucky that lost their lives to the opioid epidemic. I lost my younger brother to it in 2004 and our community continues to struggle nearly twenty years later. This area of the country was ground zero for the crisis and the loss hangs in the air there. I’m hoping these portraits help members of the community know their loved ones are not forgotten.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I’m represented locally by The Red Arrow Gallery and have work in the permanent collection of The Soho House Nashville. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.johnpaulkesling.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/johnpaulkesling
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/jpkartist/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/user/johnkesling
• Other: https://www.artsy.net/artist/john-paul-kesling?utm_medium=p-search&utm_source=adwords&utm_campaign=Marketing_Artist_Dynamic_Search&gclid=CjwKCAiA1JGRBhBSEiwAxXblwX5aRcw4q-XmbA7u8vF5V2l7yibNw8zHaaFJ0BiUB_oNzUcoSXZCohoCfAkQAvD_BwE

Image Credits
Christopher Wormald