Chartwell Notes

“I think I would be adrift without drawing to structure my days around. When I was younger, I had a lot of compulsions, probably unhealthy ones, but they were all bouncing off in different directions. My life was very chaotic. I think drawing gave this one focus where I could channel everything and then all the other parts of my life became easier, calmer. Control is a big part of it. On the flip side, it’s also exhilarating for me to relinquish control and I get to do that through collaborations. I’m strict with myself in being quite hands-off with my collaborators, because if I get too involved I’ll naturally try to wrest control back and micromanage their work which grinds the process to a halt. I’m still learning how to work with Simon and it’s been several years now. It’s walking that line between control and chaos—the tension between the two impulses is where the good stuff happens.”

- Jess Johnson in conversation with Maya Love for The Art Paper, July 2021.