Until Oct. 1 this year, local artist Jesse Hay’s works will be available for viewing at The Oxbow Hotel. Hay’s work has been up since last October, as The Oxbow Hotel displays each artist for a year at a time.
The collection in the small side gallery features a number of abstract works. Hay works primarily with acrylic and gouache, but uses many different materials to create suggestive textures and patterns. Some artwork even have coffee grounds, paper towels and texture from plastic sheets.
Although Hay is an Eau Claire native, he has spent many years traveling around the country working as a musician. He said he came back to Eau Claire recently and only started painting frequently during the coronavirus pandemic.
Since he has come back to the Chippewa Valley, he has shown in multiple galleries, from The 1106 (formerly Artisan Forge) to the Pablo Center.
“It feels amazing to have art up in Eau Claire,” Hay said. “I never foresaw it.”
When it comes to his artistic process, Hay said he likes to let his subconscious emerge and doesn’t go in with any specific idea in mind.
“It’s a meditative process,” he said. “I don’t even remember the good ones — when I make them it’s like a blackout state.”
Each of Hay’s paintings is unique, some focusing on subdued and watery colors, and others with more opaque colors or shapes. One recurring theme is the use of squiggle shapes, which Hay said remind him of Rorschach tests.
Hay said the most interesting reaction to one of his paintings was someone who didn’t want to look at it because it stirred up too many emotions.
“I like Jesse’s art because it’s more abstract. It’s nice to see something that isn’t just a splatter or a landscape,” said Tessa Duke, The Oxbow Hotel event manager. “They are great talking pieces.”
Hay also collaborated with Joe Maurer on his recent exhibit at The Pablo Center. This exhibit featured abstracted versions of landscape paintings. Hay said he enjoys working with Maurer because they both think alike.
When Hay first came back to Eau Claire, he said it was an adjustment because so many things had changed and the downtown area had grown rapidly. He noted that there was no development in the Phoenix Park area when he left.
Hay’s own growth and change as a visual artist has reflected the overall growth in the arts scene in Eau Claire.
As a future endeavor, Hay said he would like to work on a mural.
Sonnek can be reached at [email protected].
