BY SHALEEN DESTEFANO
Jazz Holmes is a Southern-born, Denver-based artist, bringing life to our city with her multi-media, technicolor pieces. Her work is rich with stories from her Creole upbringing and celebrates Black American Culture. She is a resident artist at Redline Contemporary Art Center and look for her solo exhibit at the Denver Botanic Gardens, aptly titled “Nourished.” Jazz connects her audience with her roots, which in turn begs her viewers to reflect on their own relationship with food, music, family and everything that is infused with the feeling of connectedness. Jazz was generous enough to sit down with us to dig into her evolution as an artist.
Tell us a little bit about your background… What made you interested in art? Who were your early influencers?
I’ve actually always been a creative kid. I was the awkward “art kid” all throughout grade school and honestly could never think of doing anything else as a career. I was set as soon as I could pick up a crayon! I would say what first really influenced me to create the way I do now, is the work of Hayao Miyazaki. I remember the first time I watched a film of his, I was so blown away by the vibrant colors and visceral storytelling that all I’ve wanted to do since is tell vibrant stories through visual art as well. Then throughout higher education I gained more influences. My most influential being, is my eternal mentor and found family, the artist Gregory B. Saunders. He not only taught my figurative technique but also how to be introspective and true to yourself when creating artwork.
Your mixed-media work weaves beautifully between painting and digital. Where do you find your inspiration and how do you see your work evolving?
I find my inspiration simply by experimenting with different mediums and seeing what happens. There are too many mediums out there just to limit myself to one, and as a drawing artist I feel as if adding multiple textures makes 2-D works just a bit more exciting. The usage of digital media honestly only came about due to necessity during 2020. I had no studio or space to work, so I “re-taught “myself with drawing on a tablet. I’ve come to learn ways to use digital more as a tool to help my fine art process now and it’s really helping me get my ideas at a large scale faster.
What is your state of mind when you are painting?
Extremely calm, almost blank actually. Music, and especially jazz music, influences my process so much that my mind turns off and the music decides how the color palette will look for a piece. Working for me is meditative and a form of therapy, so I tend to just let go of all of my troubles when creating.
What’s your take on the Denver art scene? Do you have any favorite local artists, and would you ever consider collaborating?
The Denver art scene is still very young and not as competitive as other scenes in other cities. For that reason, most of the working artists here are a gigantic group of friends! I consider myself very lucky to be a part of this group as we continuously help each other out and support one another. You never feel alone.
Also for that reason, I can’t exactly say I have any “favorites.” There’s too many to name and if they saw I chose favorites they might kick my butt. I don’t want that.
Of course, I would love to continue collaborating with folks and am always open to projects.
What can you tell us about your Southern upbringing and how did you find yourself in Denver?
I grew up mostly bouncing around the South, in Louisiana, Florida, and Georgia due to my father being an Air Force EOD. But most of my summers were spent with my Grandparents and extended family in the more rural areas. We would fill the hours fishing, tending the subsistence farms, and throwing huge cookouts and harvest dinners as a family. We would spend days just cooking fresh ingredients in the kitchen, my grandma always at the head of things. I was a kid drenched in southern agricultural life. I wish I could say I loved every minute of it, but growing up I always felt ashamed of being “country” and mostly chose to hide.
I decided to get a change of scenery by pursuing a MFA in Drawing, and landed on Colorado State University. I had friends that were alumni and it seemed like a great program for me within a new state. I was drawn to Colorado’s love of agriculture and have learned to become extremely proud of my southern “country” background during my time here.
RedLine is one of our most treasured nonprofit organizations in Denver. How has it been to be a part of such an amazing community?
Wow. All I can say is Wow.
Redline has been a life changing opportunity for me. They gave me space to grow and flourish within the local community, all with such nurturing energy. During my time there I discovered just what the inspiration behind my art practice was and feel as if my art career is just now starting to take off. Unfortunately my time there will come to an end very soon, at the end of October 2024. But, they’ve made it clear that you never truly leave the Redline community even after your residency. You’re a part of a family and Louise would never let you leave. She could never get rid of me, either!
Where can we see your work?
You can come view my artwork on my website Jazzholmesart.square.site or on instagram @metaphoticalmuse in order to stay updated on what shows and projects I’m working on currently. You can also always email me if you would like to come to my studio for a chat and view of my work!
What can we expect from you in the future?
I actually am in preparation for a pretty large solo show opportunity within Denver at the Botanical Gardens, next year. Along with a few other projects I can’t release much information about just yet, until they’re announced. There seems to be quite a few opportunities popping up right now and I’m always on the hunt for more and more. So I think you all can expect a lot more work from me soon!
Thank you for allowing us to peek inside your history, process and plans for the future, Jazz. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for you and your iconic work.