Jessilyn Brinkerhoff - Muralist
Tell me about your art and the inspiration behind it.
I paint the beauty and significance of the natural world through vibrant public murals. Growing up in the remote botanical playground of southwest Oregon constantly informs my work today. I aim to inspire people to break outside of the urban routine, look carefully at the world around them, and encourage stewardship of the natural world. My colorful murals explore wilderness, native species, and our human relationship to the environment. Partnering with scientists and naturalists is a favorite way to collaborate. Over the years I have specialized in native plants and aspire to get to know and paint as many native flowers and pollinators as I can in this lifetime. Over the last fifteen years, I have collaborated with communities in the Northwestern US, Costa Rica, and Thailand, and completed projects with arts councils, higher education, K-12 schools, architects, local businesses and indigenous tribes. Currently, I am working to push the medium of mural painting to include metal, ceramics, wood sculpture, and natural pigments.
What’s your favorite nature spot in Oregon?
Rivers are home to me. The Rogue River and Illinois River hold such special memories of courageously jumping off of rocks in the summertime and floating down scenic canyons. Otters, osprey, trout, willows, castilleja, and so many other special characters make their home there. My family's community in the lower Rogue River region has experienced several fires over the 30 years we've lived there, with a fire season that has become almost routine in the late summer. The intensity of living in a natural disaster zone with weeks of thick smoke and daily visits from fire crews has altered our perspective of living near these wild and beautiful places over the years and deepened our reverence.
What’s your favorite nature spot in Oregon?
Rivers are home to me. The Rogue River and Illinois River hold such special memories of courageously jumping off of rocks in the summertime and floating down scenic canyons. Otters, osprey, trout, willows, castilleja, and so many other special characters make their home there. My family's community in the lower Rogue River region has experienced several fires over the 30 years we've lived there, with a fire season that has become almost routine in the late summer. The intensity of living in a natural disaster zone with weeks of thick smoke and daily visits from fire crews has altered our perspective of living near these wild and beautiful places over the years and deepened our reverence.
“To love a place is not enough. We must find ways to heal it.”
— Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
