Artist Jessica Monroe

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When Art Finds its Home

This week, I delivered paintings to a friend, patron, and collector of my art, Bill. His home is brimming with amazing artwork, so it took a bit of rearranging to carve out wall space for the new, large paintings I’d brought. Like a creative game of musical chairs, we tried this spot and another until we found the right combination of light and color to make the whole room sing.

It’s enormously satisfying to see my art find its forever home. Paintings take months and many hours of struggle, of questioning why I choose such complex and challenging subjects, of staying up late or waking up super early to complete. They are literally the result of decades dedicated to my craft and drive. When they are loved, admired, and allowed to enliven a room, all the energy and sacrifice that goes into their creation makes sense.

Collectors like Bill in no small way support the continuation of my practice, forming the symbiotic relationship of patron and artist. It takes a special eye and faith to collect an artist’s work, but the results can be spectacular as even one original artwork has the potential to transform a room. If you’re interested in starting or building your own collection, take a look at some of the articles listed below to get started. And if you have any questions, reach out! I’d love to hear from you.

http://JessicaMonroe.com

Building my Garden

Today I went to pick out native plants for my garden. In an effort to bring painting inspirations a little closer to home, I’ve turned attentions to cultivating my small suburban plot with a mix of natives and edibles.

I’m working to create an outdoor oasis- a place where I can go to meditate, sketch, get inspired, drink a beer, and enjoy the outdoors with my kiddo and friends. In considering what to include in my design, it was important for me to create a beautiful area that will feed my family and the birds and pollinators of this shared land. As a painter of native plants and animals, I’m excited to create a space that will bring both to just beyond my door.

It’s surprisingly difficult to find natives as they’re not carried by most of the local nurseries, so I drove the 40 miles to Heep’s Nursery in Harlingen, which specializes in plants of the Rio Grande Valley. I first met Mike Heep when I was in elementary school and he was helping my mother to landscape our new home. For decades, Mike has cultivated natives and educated people on the ecological benefits of using these plants in their landscapes. Visiting his nursery is a joy. This morning, as I walked through make shift paths between plants, roaming dogs, and chickens, Mike advised me on what plants will do well in sun and shade. I’m enormously grateful for his knowledge and his dedication to providing plants that feed our local wildlife.

Heep’s Nursery

Address: 1714 S Palm Ct Dr, Harlingen, TX 78552

Phone: (956) 457-6834

http://www.heepsnursery.com

Celebrating the Small

www.JessicaMonroe.com

I once came across a girl about seven years old who had her face inches from a stream in which her dad was fishing. She was excitedly looking at the frogs and minnows, turning over rocks and pieces of wood, and taking treasures back to show her dad. She looked up at me and said, with barely contained enthusiasm- “I love, love, LOVE exploring!” I couldn’t help but smile- I also love to explore.

I can google nature photos and flip through breathtaking images, but in these easy to consume photographs, there is no connection, no lesson, and no depth. In a world of short lived, quick and easy to get pictures and videos, there’s something romantic about having to slow down and really look before being rewarded with a tiny, beautiful beetle, or the intricately woven collection of items within a bird’s nest.

With paint, I explore these hidden gems. With each, I learn more about my surroundings, reaching out to friends- naturalists, birders, and growers- who teach me about native plants and the animals who rely on them. In the process of gathering my subjects and painting, I discover another piece of a puzzle that is dynamic, hungry, and always in process.

Love in a Garden

Your Yard is a Universe

“Looking at our world today can be worrisome. We too, feel anxious about the disappearing wildlife and climate crisis. But sometimes you just need to take a magnifying glass and walk into your yard. There is a whole universe right there. And making that ‘little’ universe hospitable for beneficial insects, birds, and other small wildlife is easy: just stop using toxins, leave the leaves, and plant more native species. Let’s start to restore our environment, one yard after the other.”

– www.healthyyards.org

I’m only in the beginning stages of fixing up our yard. It takes time, patience, money, and effort- things I’ve not always had in great supply. Sometimes it feels like an uphill battle for even my small space. But it also pulls me off the couch and into the fresh air as little by little I clean up, plant seeds, prune, and plan.

Remarkably, even the small efforts of the past few weeks are paying off in blooms and new growth. “Love is patient, love is kind.” This is the love of gardening, to listen observe, and respond.

Not all the discoveries are joyful. The dreaded Leaf-cutter ants are in my yard. I grew up knowing that these guys could take down a tree overnight and should be addressed immediately! I asked a local naturalist about it and she just shrugged- “They’re part of the environment. They’ll only attack a plant that’s sick.” So I left them alone.

Leaf-cutter ants eat away at my rose bush.

Of all the new plants in my garden, they go after the hardy, non-native roses. Fair enough ants- eat away. Next time I’ll plant something for the birds.

Painting Nopal

After taking some time to experiment with different materials, this week I’m back to painting with oils. There’s something romantic about oil paint with its buttery texture, the translucency of thin layers, the richness of color, and the freedom to blend and layer without needing to rush before the paint dries. Using graphite, watercolor, pastel, or acrylic always feels a bit like a battle, but here, I am completely at home and always happy to return.

I’m working on a cactus from my Grandparents’ farm. Paths cut into the wild, back part of the property give access to large clusters of brush. Seasonal patterns reveal themselves as I visit the same, uncultivated land over the course of a year. I watched this Nopal go from flowers to fruit and observed a neighboorly vine suddenly bloom, covering the cactus in a blanket of white. I saw those flowers give way to the tell-tale forms of the milkweed pod, first green, then dried and opening to reveal the soft tufts of seeds within.

I often paint cactus. I feel the history and identity of my home in the colors and shapes of this humble plant. Old Nopals are compelling sculptures that hold life and decay as the bottom pads shimmer with deterioration in pinks and purples, providing the foundation for the fresh new growth above. Their spines demand respect. The sumptuous undulations catch the light in purples and greens, and the stark white contrasting blotches hide the cochineal insect, an ancient and potent source of red dye coveted by Indigenous cultures and conquering Europeans.

A staple of South Texas, Nopal provides food and protection for local people and animals alike. According to Healthline, eating Nopal has many benefits including regulating blood sugar levels, reducing cholesterol, and even curing hangovers! Try some of the recipes below to bring this incredible plant into your home and kitchen.

Ensalada de Nopal

Easy Nopales and Eggs

Prickly Pear Juice