ABOUT YOHANNA
Yohanna Jessup is an accomplished fine artist and dedicated meditator, residing amidst the vast, volcanic landscapes of northeastern California.
Her artistic journey commenced at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus on painting, printmaking, and portraiture. Following her graduation, Yohanna relocated to New York City to explore the innovative world of wearable art.
Yohanna’s career evolved from designing wearable art to designing on skin, spending ten years as a tattoo artist. This era was instrumental in sharpening her artistic skills and deepening her understanding of working with clients to create meaningful personalized art, which she applies to her work today.
Expanding her artistic repertoire, Yohanna has created “Sacred Spaces” in nightclubs in New York and private residences across the U.S. and internationally. These customized sanctuaries feature unique wall paintings tailored to each space. As a self-represented artist, she has completed multiple commissioned works and sells original artworks and limited edition prints that delight and inspire her collectors. Her collaborations with retreat centers in the U.S. and Australia have resulted in large-scale paintings that enhance communal spaces and foster connection.
In 2004, Yohanna began training with the Clairvision School of Meditation. As a meditation instructor she leads meditation courses periodically in the U.S. and abroad. As a Inner Space Techniques (IST) practitioner, she works with individual clients helping them to clarify their inner landscape, and navigate life in more deeply connected ways.
Currently, Yohanna lives in a meditation retreat center, surrounded by the stunning scenery of California’s volcanic ranges and expansive skies—environments that are perfect for nurturing both the stillness of her meditation practice and artistic inspiration.
ARTIST STATEMENT
“I have always been fascinated in getting to the essence of things. Looking behind the surface and into what lies beneath.
For me drawing and painting is a way to know things beyond the surface. To create a convincing image, I like to understand the structure of the subject. Its mechanics. How it is put together. How it works.
Through meditation and states of consciousness I can gain an even greater depth of insight. Probing into the universal realities that emanate the creation. And building systematic pathways so that I can return to these states of consciousness again and again when creating.
The experience of universal realities blows away anything I have ever created materially. And yet, I am still inspired to try to express these experiences often in images because words seem so shallow in the face of greater realities.
The creative process has become a profound practice, bringing aliveness, challenge, and joy. Creating is a devotional process for me. Through creativity I can experience stepping outside of my little ego/personality. When it’s really going really well it’s as if something broader and more universal moves through me.
I think that a true work of art is transcendent. And this is what I strive for every time I create.”
A NOTE ABOUT MATERIALS…
CHEMICAL-FREE CREATION:
The archival materials in my work are careully chosen to be free of toxic chemicals, creating longevity, allowing permeation of subtle energies and preserving the purity of the spaces of consciousness I engage in my art practice.
A water soluble beeswax based paint is used for its depth of color, and beautiful surface luster. Wax based or ‘encaustic’ paintings have a long history, used throughout ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian cultures. Encaustic means ‘to burn in’, that happens when the paint is fused by a heat source. The durability of beeswax makes it resistant to moisture and will not break down or yellow and darken over time. Encaustic paintings are naturally archival and do not need to be varnished or protected by glass.
Water-soluble wax paint is durable, as attested by the present state of preservation of Roman and Roman-Egyptian paintings of the first century in many museums throughout the world. The wax is a natural preservative, moisture resistant, repels mildew and insects, plus it’s solvent free. So with the proper care, your encaustic work of art will remain as fresh as the day it was painted.
At times I use genuine 24k Gold Leaf in my paintings. The genuine 24 k gold leaf will not tarnish, and in most cases I do not use varnish.
Sometimes I incorporate gold in a painting to act as an energetic anchor. Other times I use the gold to bring a visual dynamism. The reflective quality of gold leaf enhances the interaction of light and color, so that the surface qualities of the painting change throuout the day, enriching the viewer’s experience.
Follow this link to learn more about how to care for your painting.
