| Even in the eclectic world of visual art, there are outsiders. Seattle sculptor Jessica Geiger’s unique creations are unexpected and difficult to categorize. Viewers are drawn to her smaller, doll-sized creations and miniature dioramas, expecting a Norman Rockwell scene. Instead, they discover an Alice Neal-Duane Hanson-like, twisted lovechild creation. Gallery patrons are alternately delighted and disturbed by the emotionally charged figures and highly detailed backgrounds (cigarette butts on asphalt, discarded McDonald’s wrappers, half-eaten meals scattered on tables) and the unflinching portrayal of flawed humanity. |  |
Jessica Geiger – K. Amarak Waters
Even in the eclectic world of visual art, there are outsiders. Seattle sculptor Jessica Geiger’s unique creations are unexpected and difficult to categorize.
Viewers are drawn to her smaller, doll-sized creations and miniature dioramas, expecting a Norman Rockwell scene. Instead, they discover an Alice Neal-Duane Hanson-like, twisted lovechild creation. Gallery patrons are alternately delighted and disturbed by the emotionally charged figures and highly detailed backgrounds (cigarette butts on asphalt, discarded McDonald’s wrappers, half-eaten meals scattered on tables) and the unflinching portrayal of flawed humanity. Her cast of characters includes homeless people, abused children, junkies, anorexics and other troubled souls rarely seen in art. There’s Blake, a heroin addict, who regretfully gazes at his son’s photograph while injecting his latest fix. And then there’s the sad eyes of medicated Lucy, who reads romance novels and daydreams of getting married—or Zachary with his broken wrist and pet kitten hanging precariously from his back, oblivious to the mouse crushed under his bicycle tire.
On at least one occasion, a sculpture became interactive. Unsatisfied with her piece, Jessica discarded a life-size body in the dumpster behind her apartment building. A frightened resident, observing what she believed to be the jeans and sneakers of a dead person, called the police. The officers got a good laugh out of the incident at least.
So what motivates an artist to create such portraits?
A quiet, reflective soul, Jessica looks to the people around her for inspiration. She grew up in Spokane, a somewhat economically depressed town where the nightlife consists mainly of bars and taverns. She’s been an urban Seattle resident for most of her adult life, often living in areas that were less than pristine. But that’s okay with her—these environments present her with an endless array of interesting characters to observe. She explains, “I am inspired by the individual’s struggle to survive and find meaning in an increasingly overcrowded, impersonal society.
Working with clay, fabric and various miniatures enables me to bring this odd assortment of characters to life. It is my hope that their lives will offer insight into our own. “Often when I begin a new sculpture, I have no preconceived image in my mind. Surprises occur as their identities emerge from my subconscious into the clay. Each character is a fusion of my past, my present, and the people in my immediate environment. Their struggles, desires and personalities are revealed through their faces, gestures and surroundings.”
Although she graduated from Cornish College of the Arts in 1994, Jessica considers herself mostly self-taught. “At Cornish, teachers didn’t quite know what to do with me. No one was teaching the kind of expressive figurative sculpture that I wanted to create. So I began experimenting and, through trial and error, creating my characters. The other students were not sure what to think of my work, or whether it qualified as fine art.”
During the years since graduation, Jessica has slowly been building a loyal following. Her work has been shown throughout the Seattle area, at such diverse venues as Black Lab Gallery, Brave Dog Dead Dog, Priceless Works Gallery, Infohazard, Artcore Studios (a tattoo studio/art gallery), Commencement Art Gallery, and the Bellevue Art Museum. Her life-sized sculptures are currently displayed in the Woolworth windows, 11th Street at Broadway and Commerce, in downtown Tacoma, Washington through October 28th. For more of Jessica’s work, go to www.jessicageiger.com.
