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1. Minaret, 2004, oil and acrylic on wood, 16" x 9" x 3"
2. Wormwood, 2004, oil and acrylic on wood,
     5-1/2" x 7" x 4"
3. Season, 2004, oil and acrylic on wood, 9" x 6" x 2"
4. Trace, 2004, oil and acrylic on wood, 5" x 7" x 4"
5. Eternal Dwelling, 2004, oil and acrylic on wood with      metal, 47" x 8" x 5"
6. Eternal Dwelling, detail, 2004, oil and acrylic on wood      with metal, 47" x 8" x 5"
7. Strengthen Whilst One Stands, 2004, oil and acrylic on      wood, 7" x 3" x 4-1/2"
8. Baltimore, 2004, oil and acrylic on wood,
     11" x 19-1/2" x 4"
9. Epidemic, 2004, oil and acrylic on wood,
     6" x 20" x 4-1/2"
10. The Crane Adjacent, 2004, oil and acrylic on wood,
     11" x 9" x 3-1/2"
11. Philadelphia, 2004, oil and acrylic on wood,
     6-1/2" x 8" x 4"
12. Terra Firma, 2004, oil and acrylic on wood with metal,
       14" x 9" x 3-1/2"
13. Transient, 2004, oil and acrylic on wood,
        8-3/4" x 9" x 3"
14. Evermore, 2004, oil and acrylic on wood, 9" x 8" x 4"
15. Greystone, 2004, oil and acrylic on wood, 8" x 4" x 4"

Contact Information
14 Clark Street
Summit, NJ 07901
tel: 908-598-1035
e-mail: jessicademcsak@gmail.com
www.jessicademcsak.com
Please contact artist for purchases, commissions, etc.

Artist Statement
Every corner in a house, every angle in a room, every inch of secluded space in which we like to hide, or withdraw into ourselves, is a symbol of solitude for the imagination.
Gaston Bachelard

I find it important to go back to the past where it was the small things that mattered. When experiencing the world, one cannot overlook the structures that surround us and give us shelter. The house itself is our first world. Structures house our dreams, memories, secrets and failures. Each space and corner represents a time in our lives. Aged structures retain a history of the experiences and thoughts of its inhabitants. Memories rub off the insides and outsides of the spaces that exist and become a part of us, whether it is our memories of a similar place or the building’s memories of other inhabitants.

When I visit a place, I document my experience with photographs. While painting, I try to pare down the intricate decorative elements and shapes which speak the most of a place. The spaces painted might be in negative or positive form, letting the wood of the box show through. The technique turns the structures into silhouette. The impression that is left acknowledges the experience.

My paintings are object like. They reference wood boxes and protrude off the wall more than a painting on canvas. The Victorian culture with its precious objects and decorative architecture and ironwork inspires my paintings. The wrought iron fence serves as a timeline of my life with all of its imperfections and beauty. Because of their small scale, the "boxes" have a precious quality, which is increased by the way they are created. Small objects create a sense of nostalgia, which I feel while I am painting them.

I place the paintings in my lap in close proximity to my body. The layering of memories, in addition to transparent and opaque painted layers, illustrates the wisps of thought that arise when remembering a specific location. Painting in such a devoted way, will hopefully reflect the closeness of the viewer’s gaze. The idea that the viewer will share the same space as I while creating the painting is fascinating. Sharing an experience through an object relates to the idea of memories contained in a space. The process of constructing the “boxes” and then painting them is vital to me.

We live in a “bigger is better world” which affects the food we eat, vehicles we drive, lifestyle, and art. Sometimes it is important to look to the past for the future.

Education
2004
University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
MFA, Painting

2001
Kean University, Union, NJ
MA, Art Education

1999
Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts, New Brunswick, NJ
BFA, Painting

Awards
2005
Grant Recipient, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation

Selected Exhibitions

2005
Window on Broad, Philadelphia, PA

Maple Street Gallery, New Jersey Center for Visual Arts
Summit, NJ

James Howe Gallery, Kean University, Union, NJ

Rosenwald-Wolf, Hamilton & Arronson Galleries, Philadelphia, PA

Philadelphia Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA

New American Paintings, Juried Exhibition in Print (#57)

2004
MFA Thesis Exhibition, The Crane Building & Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

Nova Fine Art, Clinton, NJ

Time Square Lobby Gallery, New York, NY

2003
WIP (Works in Progress Show), Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery
University of the Arts Philadelphia, PA

2002
WIP Show Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

International Juried Competition, New Jersey Center for Visual Arts, Summit, NJ