Jessica Rubin
Jessica Rubin is an emerging contemporary artist from Los Angeles, CA. Her work centers on the relationships between individuals and their surroundings, emphasizing the unique representation of self through personal spaces. In her exploration of comfort and safe spaces, she reflects on the increased significance of domestic environments during periods of isolation. Often using herself as a model, she provides viewers with an intimate glimpse into her personal spaces, both real and imagined, filled with intricate patterns and vibrant colors that communicate personality and emotion.
Collect Bean: What does growth mean to you?
Jessica Rubin: I think growth is very cyclical; it’s always happening in some way, even though we don’t always notice. In the last year especially, I’ve had to learn to understand and accept that growth does not happen in the ways I expect it to. I have a hard time looking for and recognizing my own growth, something I’m working on. It can sometimes feel like going backward or breaking things down, but that is necessary for the process sometimes. The things I’ve done before I can do again are not going backward; they’re circular.
Collect Bean: What is the kindest thing someone can tell you about your work?
Jessica Rubin: That it feels comforting or feels like home. I think this comforting feeling is what I often seek for myself as I make a painting, so it’s great if others can experience that from my work, too. I also love when people tell me they see themselves in my work. Sometimes I feel like my work can be so specific to me and my experience of the world, so I love to see the ways that others find their own connections in it.
Collect Bean: What does your painting process look like from start to finish?
Jessica Rubin: These days I’m often sketching out compositions on my iPad before beginning a painting to decide how I want things to look before I put paint to canvas. Sometimes, I will sketch in other materials or smaller paintings just to practice and try things out, and if I like the composition, I might turn it into a larger painting. My favorite is when the work flows, and I can finish a painting within a few days or even a few hours if it is a smaller work. Sometimes, the flow can last over the course of a painting, even if it takes many days to work on it. Once I get on a roll, I can just keep it going, and sometimes things are a bit slower or more broken apart, I will jump between paintings if I’m not feeling inspired by one thing and sometimes will come back, and the flow returns later.
Collect Bean: How does where you grew up influence your work?
Jessica Rubin: Living in LA, I think light has been a huge influence on my work, everything here is defined by how much the sun is shining. Light, color, and plants; the feeling of home and the nice weather. When I was living on the East Coast, I was really focused on making places feel like home everywhere I went, and light and LA vibes were always part of that. Living here again, I think my work is changing, and I feel like I need to protect myself less in that way. I can bring the focus outwards back towards connecting with the world.
Collect Bean: What role does color play in your practice?
Jessica Rubin: Color has always been super important for my work. I choose colors intuitively and always gravitate toward the same colors again and again. I like to use purples a lot in my work and in my life, I read somewhere recently that purple represents power, luxury, and confidence, and I want to embrace and channel those energies into my work and my world.
