Jesse Foley Brink creates artworks in his garage. He was raised in rural Pennsylvania by two artists. Their tiny, period-correct, 18th-century fieldstone house was stuffed with early American folk art; meanwhile, his second-favorite picture book as a child was the catalog to MOMA’s 1968 exhibition “The Machine as Seen at the End of the Mechanical Age.” 

The dichotomy between historical craft and industrial form continues to inform his visual lexicon and artistic methods. In his mixed-media works, solitary ceramic houses are situated within austere imaginary landscapes, inviting viewers to step outside their immediate environment and engage in a reflective dialogue on presence, memory and emotional connection.

Jesse’s artistic evolution draws upon a multi-decade career spanning architecture, publishing, visual effects and academia. Transitioning into artistic practice during the solitude of full-time parenthood, Jesse undertook his first raku firing in 2021, utilizing a kiln acquired for casting metal engine parts. This pivotal shift birthed his signature sculptural series of landscapes, establishing a distinct body of work that bridges fine art, craft traditions and explorations of empathy.