Jessalyn Brooks

"I was born in Cleveland Ohio on October 29th, 1984. That makes me 33 years old and a Scorpio. I spend a lot of time claiming to be a skeptic but can’t shake the pride of being a Scorpio.

I can remember really getting into art stuff when I was around 9 years old. I would sit at my school desk and the kids around me would draw squiggles and had me make something out of them. I liked entertaining them. I also like making something out of something that was already there- seeing the new possibilities. As I get older I’m starting to realize that’s sort of been my thing all along. Finding another purpose for something that once existed but died a little.

I moved to Los Angeles in 2011 very impulsively for a very unsteady, unreliable gig as a cabaret dancer in a pretty cult-classically-known show in Santa Monica. I don’t know what I was thinking. Whatever, it got me here. Journeys are funny.

I started doodling again about 2 years ago and it’s just been a steady climb since. I feel like I’ve found a solid branch to land on, finally. I know I’ve taken all of my weird detours in life and sort of streamlined them into this. I still mostly use repurposed surfaces for all of my work. I like to stitch canvas I find at rag houses and make massive paintings with them. I like finding old paper from trashed, antique books. It breaks my heart to see that stuff get thrown away. It breaks my heart to see anything get thrown away."