Artist Interviews 2021

Jessica Sosa  
By Julia Annabel Siedenburg



Jessica Sosa is a gorgeous Florida-based painter with Central American roots. Her beautiful paintings that are bursting with colors contain mostly hearts, flowers and lips. She wants told me that this came because lips are the way we express ourselves and the hearts come from the passion she has for art. Do we have to say more? Yes, we do, because her answers in this interview are as beautifully crafted as her work! Everything she does overflows with emotion and affection. She is a dear friend whose work I have admired for a while and I am so happy to share her thoughts about art and inspiration in this interview.



Your art is overflowing with color and joy perfectly fitting into the fun modern art genre. Did you always know that is the kind of art you will create?

I felt a sense of romance when I first laid eyes on a piece done by Marc Chagall. I became frozen in that moment, tracing the curves of the woman with my eyes. Admiring the colors as they blend through the lines and boundaries that I would traditionally see. I felt compelled in that transcending moment to build a relationship with color.



Tell us about what/ who inspires you? How do you choose your colors and objects on your pieces?

Honestly, this is a question that I believe has shaped me into my deepest and most valuable expression of self. I find inspiration is always ever present. We have the great privilege of existing with such a vast collection of uniqueness. Inspiration for me arrives from observing my surroundings with a deep sense of gratitude. I feel that when gratitude is expressed it opens my eyes to see beauty in all things perceived and received.



Any specific piece or object growing up that has a special meaning for you?

When I was a little girl I had a toy horse. I still have the horse figure till this day. I looked at this horse figure and I desperately wanted to replicate it on paper. I remember how meditative that moment became for me. I hold that memory very close to my heart. I still remember that silence and the stillness of that moment.



I myself have seen your pieces hanging in a popular coffee shop to a clothing and jewelry store to being the background of the big Fashion show in Winter Park, FL. You also have been commissioned to make custom pieces for companies and other events. Can you share more about how this came about?

Years ago, I had painted a heart using different mediums and inks. I had shared my finished work with a dear friend who managed a men’s boutique on Park Ave in Winter Park (Florida). He then showed the owner of the boutique the art piece and the owner showed great appreciation for my work. HE asked if I would like to display any of my pieces in his Clothing Boutique to which I happily agreed.



Give us a little insight in your upbringing and background and how you got to where you are today.

I was born in New Orleans Louisiana. As a young girl I would frequently visit Bourbon Street with my father. I was about 8 or 9 years old. My dad and I would enjoy beignets in the café add hear Jazz players playing their instruments in the background. I remember how I felt alive. I wanted to create. I would watch the men playing their instruments ad I would notice something special. I notice a passion. I wanted to live with that same passion I knew no matter what we do, if we do it with passion, it can be beautiful. I felt I had been given a gift in that observant moment. A gift in seeing others flourish in their creativity. I also visited my family’s home country Honduras often in my youth. I remember the horses I would ride to the local food markets. I remember the fruit trees and the fragrant smells of the fresh made fish they sold in the food markets. It is a treasured time. Those memories are my continued reference. My treasured library of inspiration.



What are your future hope and dreams for your art? What is next for you?

I hope to be more expressive within my art. To be more soulfully connected to translating my joy into a vibrant reality. I am beginning to desire to paint more of the human physic. I desire to work with larger canvases. I enjoy being enveloped by color. I recently visited my hometown New Orleans and visited several art galleries. I found that the pieces that called my attention were in fact the larger works of art. Art is an experience; whether we are creating it or observing it. And no matter if we are creating or observing it; we are in that moment an active participant in its present life. Appreciating a unique quality in the art that speaks to us in the nooks and crannies of our soul. I imagine when we take great pleasure in observing what speaks to us in the silence of our hearts – it’s as if the soul is dancing in joy. I'd like to see myself with others who have a sense of curiosity for art, a sense of appreciation for creativity and a passion for newness.