Jessica Kaplan: An Exclusive Interview with A.I.M.O.

I have been following you on Instagram @jessicakaplanart1 for some time now and was curious as to what led you to painting?

Ever since I was a small child, I loved doing anything that was creative like painting, drawing, performing , making jewelry, etc. I graduated college with a theater major. I moved to LA where I pursued an acting and voiceover career. After being there for a few years, I started my own airbrush tanning business where I blended colors to try and create the perfect tan for each client's skin. When I left LA and moved back to Chicago, I happened to see a painting someone posted online and it triggered an urge inside of me to want to create. I bought canvas and paints and I was hooked.

Please tell our audience about your process as you are a self taught artist and your abstract pieces are quite large. How do you begin each piece?

My process is very simple. I pretty much just lay out my paints, put down canvas then start. I usually think about what colors I want to use or have a vision of what I plan to do. However, a lot of the time, I end up doing something completely different then what I planned. I often get totally sucked in and don't even realize what I am doing until I am finished. What I end up painting is a reflection of the mood or emotions I was feeling during the process.

How do you choose your color palette and how long does it generally take you to complete a painting?

Unless I am painting a custom piece, as I mentioned I before, I don't really know what colors I am going to use for sure. I love working with neons and bright colors. There is so much sadness and darkness in the world. I think it's important to bring brightness and hope to others and myself through art.

The time it takes to complete a painting varies. It depends on the size of the canvas, the materials needed and the method I use. Also, sometimes I may keep adding and changing things and it could take weeks to get to the point where I am satisfied and feel it is complete.

What medium are you most comfortable using? Any that intimidate you that you'd like to try?

I am comfortable using all different mediums. I will try anything that sticks to canvas. I love experimenting with color and texture, etc. I have used acrylics, spray paint, house paint, fabric paint, paper, molding paste, beads and so on. In addition to brushes, I have used many different objects to apply paint to canvas. Some examples are marbles, sponges, sticks and my hands.

Where do you sell your work? Do you create pieces on commission?

Currently, I do private sales and commissioned work. I would be interested in showing my work in galleries, if I find the right fit. If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be with and why?

I don't have a particular artist in mind that I want to work with. However, it would definitely be a street artist! I love the idea of taking a plain wall and turning it into art that everyone passing by can see and enjoy. Since I like to paint larger pieces, the idea of painting on such a vast, open space seems so freeing and exciting. What art hangs on your walls?

Presently, my own art has taken over my apartment! Every time I paint something new, I like to hang it up until I either sell it or create another piece.