Jesse Speak

Artist's statement

I capture fleeting moments of beauty in landscapes using watercolour, ink, and touches of gouache. The fluidity of these materials mirrors the natural world, allowing for spontaneity and collaboration between artist and medium. Having transitioned from a career in design, my skills in composition, balance, and economy of line inform my work, helping translate the essence of a place into memory on paper.

My paintings are not direct representations of a landscape but reflections of how memory distills and layers experiences. Certain shapes, lines, and colours become anchors, evoking a place or moment while other details blur and merge at the edges. The porous borders in my work reflect the fragmented nature of memory, where time distorts and elements blend into one another.

I work both outdoors and in the studio, quickly sketching impressions and recording sensory details through notes, photos, and sound. These observations are then distilled into paintings that celebrate the beauty and fragility of landscapes in a changing world—offering moments to pause, appreciate, and connect with the interplay of light, rock, and organic form.

Inspired by field recording and musique concrète, my practice layers a sensory experience to evoke the atmosphere of a moment, capturing landscapes as lived and remembered.