Jessixa Bagley

Region: Pacific Coast

The most dominant feature in my work is my sense of humor. It comes to the surface as the constant element that influences my comic and illustration work as well as my fine art. When working outside of comics, I blend my humor and cartooning background with sophisticated attributes to achieve a mature, fine art aesthetic.

In my "Grew" series, I combine my nostalgic love for icons of elementary school days with images of trees, creating a playful dialogue about the natural components of life. Just as in nature a tree grows starting as a seedling, in our world, school is our first step towards growth. What is "natural" to us is performing and growing within a system; while in a more organic sense, we grow regardless of these systems. By using leafless trees and a somber palette I clash adult overtones with youthful and whimsical subject matter. This combination of contradictory elements creates a sense of irony within the viewer- I am reminding them of a past familiarity through an adult perspective. Comparing the context of these images allows me to explore the humor of where we come from.