Buy original artworks and limited edition archival prints by Jes Zilla in the shop at jeszilla.art.
See Exhibitions for artwork available at current and upcoming exhibitions and events.
Click or tap on any of the images to view more detail. All of my artworks are accompanied by a brief story that may help jumpstart your connection to each piece.
tête-à-tête 1
6” x 12” x 1.5”
acrylic and ink on wood panel
tête-à-tête 2
6” x 12” x 1.5”
acrylic and ink on wood panel
rising tide
20” x 20” x 1.5”
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and pencil on canvas
forced energy
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
acrylic, paper, and ink on canvas
interruption
24” x 24” x 1.5″
acrylic, paper, and ink on canvas
reason season lifetime
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
acrylic, paper, pencil, and ink on canvas
arrival
24” x 24” x 1.5”
acrylic, paper, and pencil on canvas
anticipation
24” x 24” x 1.5”
acrylic, paper, and ink on canvas
resolutions
12” x 12” x 1.5”
acrylic and ink on wood panel
dissociation
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
acrylic and ink on canvas
whisper
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas
psychic metronome
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas
what doesn’t kill us
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
acrylic and ink on canvas
ghosted
20″ x 20″ x 1.5″
acrylic, hand-cut paper, ink, and pencil on canvas
all that glitters
4″ x 4″ x 1.5″
acrylic and paper on canvas
the little things
9.5” x 9.5” x 0.5”
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas board, framed
flourish
9.5” x 9.5” x 0.5”
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas board, framed
gray area 1
8” x 8”
acrylic, paper, and ink on watercolor paper, matted
gray area 2
8” x 8”
acrylic, paper, and ink on watercolor paper, matted
gray area 3
8” x 8”
acrylic, paper, and ink on watercolor paper, matted
support system
20” x 20” x 1.5”
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas
square one, square eleven
9.5” x 9.5” x 0.5”
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and pencil on canvas board, framed
winter solstice
9.5” x 9.5” x 0.5”
acrylic, paper, and ink on canvas board, framed
morning twilight
9.5” x 9.5” x 0.5”
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and pencil on canvas board, framed
same same but different 1
9″ x 12″ x 1″
acrylic and ink on canvas paper, framed
same same but different 2
9″ x 12″ x 1″
acrylic and ink on canvas paper, framed
same same but different 3
9″ x 12″ x 1″
acrylic and ink on canvas paper, framed
waiting for spring
20″ x 20″ x 1.5″
acrylic, ink, and pencil on canvas
expectation
20″ x 20″ x 1.5″
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas
chaos theory
20″ x 20″ x 1.5″
acrylic and ink on canvas
reflection
20″ x 20″ x 1.5″
acrylic and ink on canvas
murmuration
20″ x 20″ x 1.5″
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and pencil on canvas
imbalance
9.5” x 9.5” x 0.5″
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and pencil on canvas board and canvas
suspended animation
4” x 4” in 9.5” x 9.5” frame
acrylic, ink, and pencil on canvas board, framed
crepuscular
20” x 20” x 1.5”
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and pencil on canvas
continuum
9.5” x 9.5” x 0.5”
acrylic, hand-cut paper, ink and pencil on canvas board
released relief
20″ x 20″ x 1.5″
acrylic and pencil on canvas
latitude
20″ x 20″ x 1.5″
acrylic and ink on canvas
pursuit
10″ x 10″ x 1.5″
acrylic, paper, and ink on wood panel
tired and awake
4” x 4” in 9.5” x 9.5” frame
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas board
from this day forward
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
acrylic, paper, ink, and pencil on canvas
disruption
20″ x 20″ x 1.5″
acrylic, paper, and ink on canvas
undercurrent
4” x 4” in 9.5” x 9.5” frame
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas board
turbulence
6″ x 6″ x 1.5″
acrylic and pencil on canvas
depth
20″ x 20″ x 1.5″
acrylic and ink on canvas
asked and answered
20″ x 20″ x 1.5″
acrylic and ink on canvas
spaces in between
4” x 4” in 9.5” x 9.5” frame
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas board
daylight spent
4” x 4” in 9.5” x 9.5” frame
acrylic and ink on canvas board
storm before the calm
10″ x 10″ x 1.5″
acrylic and pencil on wood panel
little hellos
4” x 4” in 9.5” x 9.5” frame
acrylic and hand-cut paper on canvas board
lost and found
10″ x 10″ x 1.5″
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on wood panel
1 out of 5
10″ x 10″ x 1.5″
acrylic and ink on wood panel
words to that effect
4” x 4” in 9.5” x 9.5” frame
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas board, framed
glimmer
9″ x 9″ x 1.5″
acrylic, paper, and ink on canvas, framed
first winter
8″ x 8″
machine-cut paper over photograph
be, I do
12″ x 12″ x 1.5″
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and pencil on canvas
nature nurture
12″ x 12″ x 1.5″
acrylic and ink on canvas
sound of silence
4” x 4”
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas board, framed
fall leaves fall
4” x 4”
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas board, framed
five hundred twenty-three
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas
lucid dream
12″ x 12″ x 1.5″
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas
88 lines
12″ x 12″ x 1.5″
acrylic, hand-cut paper, and pencil on canvas
beneath the surface
10″ x 10″ x 1.5″
acrylic on wood panel
twice removed
16″ x 16″ x 0.75″
photography, digital collage printed on metal
start of something new
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
acrylic and pencil on canvas
shared memory 4
16″ x 16″ x 0.75″
Manipulated photography & digital collage printed on metal
fluidity 4
12″ x 12″ x 1.5″
acrylic and ink on canvas
fluidity 3
12″ x 12″ x 1.5″
acrylic and pencil on canvas
pain electric 3
16″ x 16″
Manipulated x-ray + digital collage
nineteen
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
Acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas
shared memory 3
16″ x 16″ x 0.75″
Manipulated photography & digital collage printed on metal
fluidity 2
12″ x 12″ x 1.5″
Acrylic and pencil on canvas
the day everything changed
24” x 24” x 1.5”
Acrylic, ink, and hand-cut paper on canvas
marked
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
Acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas
fluidity 1
12″ x 12″ x 1.5″
Acrylic, ink, and coffee on canvas
pain electric 2
12″ x 12″
Manipulated x-ray + digital overlays
home is not a place
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
Acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas
m d f a
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
Acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas
identity shift
24″ x 6″ x 1.5″ (quadriptych)
Acrylic, ink, and embroidery on canvas
the first eight
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
Acrylic, hand-cut paper, ink, and pencil on canvas
shared memory 1
12″ x 12″
Photography and digital collage
shifted foundation
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
Acrylic and ink on canvas
forever and always
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
Acrylic, hand-cut paper, ink, and pencil on canvas
long road home
48″ x 24″ x 1.5″ (diptych)
Acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas
joy
16″ x 16″
Photography and digital collage
when I finally get to touch you
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
Acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas
blurred time
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
Acrylic and ink on canvas
pain electric 1
12″ x 12″
Manipulated x-ray + digital overlay
distance measured
24” x 24” x 1.5”
Acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas
forty-six now two
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
Acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas
after 8 there was 5
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
Acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas
shared memory 2
16″ x 16″
Manipulated film photography + digital collage printed on metal
fourteen hundred
24″ x 24″ x 1.5″
Acrylic, hand-cut paper, and ink on canvas
Artist Bio & Statement
As a largely self-taught artist, I work primarily in 2 different types of media: traditional acrylic/mixed-media on canvas and digital art that frequently features my photography – both film and digital. The layered textures in my artworks are influenced by different facets of my life and travels.
Creating fine art was largely dormant in my life for over 20 years. Early in the lockdown during the global Covid pandemic, something awoke in me and I have been producing artworks regularly since. During that time, I made the bold move to the Detroit area from Texas where I had lived the first 46 years of my life. I have found in Detroit a resurgence in art that parallels my own in many ways.
The layered textures in my art are influenced by different facets of my life and travels. Throughout my extensive travels in Latin America, I’ve been inspired by modern works steeped in history and a sense of identity. I love the expressive raw hand of street artists as well as the new modern masters like Basquiat and Cy Twombly. And I am certainly influenced by a 25+ year career in UX where I specialize in the design of large-scale, complex software. But mostly I am influenced by information and data…
We’re surrounded by massive amounts of data every day. Behind all data, behind the numbers, there are people and pieces of their lives. There are stories in the data.
I add this storytelling element to all of my artwork – there are clues about people, ideas, words, dates, and locations in every piece. I invite my audience to find their own stories in the complex textures and data elements — it may be a mystery to solve or instant recognition. Hand-drawn lines act as conversation. Shapes act as snapshots of moments in time. The use of black represents an infinite, hopeful depth.
Themes common in my work center around change, distance, mental health (and illness), identity, and relationships. While still always juxtaposing hard-edged geometric shapes and naive mark-making on a more ethereal foundation, my art at the start of 2022 is coming out with a more gestural feel and starker contrasts.