feature: David Jester

May 24

[this article was originally published 3/1/21]

Jester was born in Palm Springs and raised in San Diego, so California culture is a key factor in his work, especially in his current pool series. Four years in the making, the series was actually inspired originally by Jester’s observations of gay life online. Through exploring the subject of queer internet identity, he became fascinated by how we present ourselves to, and interact with, each other. Jester was also raised by a lesbian mother, so proud queer visibility is a recurring theme in his work.

“I loved swimming growing up, but pools have also always appealed to me in the way they isolate a group of people and become their own community for a moment in time,” Jester says, “That is in some ways how I view the gay community- separate yet part of the wider world.”

Each painting in the series is meant to be like a chapter in a very long story, slowly unfolding, while exploring the diversity among the many facets of the queer community.

For this series, Jester maintained a rigorous schedule, working up to twelve hours daily. The start of his process begins by developing a concept through rough drawings, and focusing on how each piece fits into the overall narrative. From there, he books models and sets up photo shoots, then he draws and paints the final pieces from those photographs.

Jester also has a bit of an obsession with the color blue. It is perpetually the dominant color in his work, and he likes to surround himself with it. “Blue, for me, represents life. Blue is water and air. There is comfort for me in the diversity of blues, and how they interact with each other.”