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• One-on-one with artist Jess Beyler

The Indi Go Gallery is in its final stretch of hosting its two-week long gallery showing for two up-and-coming artists. Among live music, tango and yoga, the two artists show off their work, varying from oil pastel to watercolor to jewelry. This week, one of the artists, Jess Beyler, sits down to discuss her paintings, including her major creation, a 15-yard piece called “Dancing the Sky Path.”

buzz: Can you talk a little bit about your work in the gallery, especially the main painting?

Jess Beyler: The main thing I’m showing is a large painting four feet tall and 45 feet long. I’ve been working on it for three years, and it has to do with sky and clouds and also dancing and, also a whole sense of a life flow or a life path. The morning to evening, the way the life changes in a day, something in the metaphor for a large question. It’s gestural. It’s abstraction.

buzz: Where did you get the idea to create

all this?

JB: Well, there’s several portions. My studio in downtown Champaign is high, and all I see is sky. I’m surrounded by sky. I’ve been a dancer, and it’s an important part of my life, and that’s in my work. I’ve always wanted to see this. I’ve always wanted to have a painting that went all the way around the room. I didn’t quite make it with this one. I tried, and I took out fifteen feet and made not a circle. And then the last thing is I had a dream. Like a lot of people ... I had this dream that I was back in high school, and somebody comes and taps me on the shoulder and says, “They want you down in the office.” So I went down to the office, and they said, “Well, we appreciate that you’ve been coming to high school all these years, but it’s time for you to stop coming. It’s time for you to move on with your life. So, we’re going to give you an honorary degree, and get out of here! Don’t come back!” And they gave me this painting and it was this long, long picture of a journey, of a path, like somebody’s whole life. And it was wonderful. I just loved it. It was the best high school diploma in the whole world. So, the composition of this painting comes from that dream.

buzz: On certain nights, along with the art gallery, there are music showings. Do you feel that enhances your paintings?

JB: Yeah. Because I’ve drawn some inspiration from dancing through my painting often. It’s just appropriate to have a tango there. And [it’s going to be] live music, which is exciting. It’s always more exciting to dance to live [music]. It’s fun to dance with painting, in general, around you. It’s inspiring, and I’m hoping that my painting will be particularly inspiring.

buzz: Why should people come and see the gallery while they still have the chance?

JB: Because the painting is worth seeing on its own, with the time and the space that it’s at. It’s really cool work. It’s just an experience to have, and if you like art at all, it’s some good art to see.