Meet John Paul Kesling | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with John Paul Kesling and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John Paul, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
My studio is at home and I’m eternally grateful for that, but it makes separating work and homelife incredibly difficult. While the commute to my studio should be about thirty seconds, it often turns into an hour or three because I’ll see dishes that need washed, a clogged gutter, or my Austrailian cattle dog that needs attention. I have so much respect for any artists that have young children to raise at the same time. Your commitment is admirable (to art and your kids). And as an independent artist, you’re never guaranteed a paycheck so it’s hard to feel comfortable “clocking out”. On top of that, I whole-heartily love painting and am happiest when I’m doing it, so I have to force myself to take breaks. Weekends don’t exist and I often don’t realize it’s Saturday until I try to run an errand and get stuck in traffic because the rest of the world is finally not at work. Obviously this is unhealthy so in the past couple of years I’ve tried to go easier on myself. My partner also works from home but actually has weekends off so I try to make sure I set aside time for her.. You have to make time to live if you want to make work about life. I keep that mantra in my back pocket to justify the times I’m not in the studio.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My artwork is the most honest thing I do. It opens me up in ways I’m unable to with words and actions alone. It’s my way of processing this complex, beautiful, and heartbreaking Universe we live in. I’m lucky I stumbled onto artmaking young because I don’t know how else I’d survive mentally, emotionally, or physically. That sounds dramatic but without art I would have turned to entirely to alcohol or drugs to cope with the madness of humanity, which would have ultimately ended in tragedy. Luckily I gave up drinking five years ago just to be safe and my focus on art has only benefitted. And sometimes other people connect with the work which makes me feel great. As far as pride goes, I don’t think I’m proud of my sobriety or of my art. Pride is a word I feel cautious and embarrassed about using in relation to my artistic career. I’d say the only thing I feel confident saying I’m “proud of” is the fact that I’m still making art after all of these years. It’s not an easy path. The amount of rejection most artists get is absolutely devastating and anyone who decides on this as a career is astonishingly stubborn, foolish and brave. When I walk back into the studio after a string of defeats, I feel proud of myself and thankful for art. Despite all of the doubt and dystopian scenes we encounter and fight through, hope hides inside of my art and perhaps that is the most useful thing one can do these days. I try to find the funny thing about a funeral and when I die, I hope somebody gets in trouble for laughing during the eulogy.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Honestly if a friend was visiting for a week, I’d have to pretend I wasn’t annoyed after day two because a week is too long. Don’t they have a family or plants to get back to? I’d hope they were ok venturing out on their own because I’d probably want to be in the studio. But for the sake of me not sounding like a psychopath, if a friend was visiting Nashville for a week, I’d take them to Peeler Park in Madison. I live near this place and it’s such an unexpected respite just a few minutes away from the noise of Music City. No offense. And since I live in Madison and hate trying to park downtown, I’d probably take them to spots in East Nashville. The East Room on Tuesday’s is great for a welcoming night of open mic comedy. Hearts on Gallatin has great food, friendly staff and lots of good looking plants. Eastside Bowl for bowling and music. Live True Vintage in nearby Old Hickory for great clothing, prices, nostalgia and conversations with the owner Tammy. If music and booze are their thing, we’d stop by the friendly folk at Vinyl Tap for live music, records, libations (and their non-alcoholic offerings) and Dream Burger food truck outside. If they happen to be here for the first Saturday art crawl we’d hit up the Wedgewood-Houston art crawl for that scene and Julia Martin Gallery, The Packing Plant and Zeitgeist. And we’d pop into SohoHouse Nashville just to show them the art-filled space and my painting that amazingly hangs in the main entrance. I’m sure they’ll want to go downtown so we can see what’s going on at the Ryman and find some buy one/get one boots for their carry-on. We’d end the trip at Margaritaville and pour a scoop of ice cream on the floor for Jimmy Buffett. Sorry you blew out your last flip-flop.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I need to shoutout Red Arrow Gallery in Nashville for their continued support of my artistic practice. They added me to their roster of artists several year ago and have supported me and my work ever since. They’ve also been a mentor in navigating the rapidly-evolving business side of things, which many artists are ill-prepared for. Katie Shaw (owner) and Ashley Layendecker (gallery manager) have become close friends and have been wonderful to work and grow with over the years.

Website: www.johnpaulkesling.com

Instagram: @johnpaulkesling

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jpkartist

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@johnkesling

Other: https://theredarrowgallery.com/artist/john-paul-kesling https://wheelhouse.art/collections/john-paul-kesling

Image Credits
John Paul Kesling