Congratulations Jesse Lane!

Jesse Lane's work on the cover of the April 2017 Issue of The Artist's Magazine

ARTIST BIO

“Through art, I’ve been able to find something inside myself that changed my life. 

Growing up, I often felt alone.  In school, I was struggling with the challenges of dyslexia.  I desperately wanted to find a place in life where I didn’t feel inferior. 

For years, I bottled up my feelings. Then I realized they could be a source of inspiration.  I began creating images of personal struggle and intimate emotion. 

What was hidden for so long became voiced and heard. For the first time, I felt truly seen. I took my weakness and made it my strength. 

Along the way, I’ve discovered we all share these feelings. They are universal.

When people see my portraits, they’re surprised I work in colored pencil. I love the precision and versatility of colored pencil. This medium can be as rich and nuanced as any other.  One of my goals is to advance colored pencil in the world of fine art.”

Jesse Lane (born 1990) lives in The Woodlands, Texas, near Houston.  His earliest teacher was his father, Jerry Lane, a former illustrator, courtroom artist and underground cartoonist.  

Jesse earned a degree in visualization from Texas A&M University.  He also studied art in Italy, where he was greatly influenced by the lighting and drama of the master painter Caravaggio.

Since launching his career as a professional artist, Jesse’s provocative portraits have captured attention.

“For collectors interested in a quickly ascending star in the art world, Lane is one surely to watch.”
Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine

Southwest Art Magazine recently recognized Jesse as one of the nation’s leading young emerging artists. 

His numerous awards include top honors from the Salmagundi Club, International Artist Magazine, the Colored Pencil Society of America and the Hudson Valley Art Association.  He was also a finalist in the 2016 International Art Renewal Center Salon.

Jesse’s work has been featured in publications including American Art Collector, Southwest Art, International Artist and The Artist’s Magazine. 

“Jesse Lane is taking the colored pencil world by storm.”
Colored Pencil Magazine

Artist Statement

In my art, I turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

My work captures intimate moments and gives glimpses of an inner private world… providing a window to our own introspective thoughts and our own mystery. 

My drawings capture emotions and stories wrapped into a single instant.

These stories are open-ended.  I want the viewer to create the narrative, to feel the power and vulnerability of that unique moment in time. 

My aim is to ignite the imagination and touch the viewer’s soul.

I call my body of work “Anatomy of Light.”  My figures emerge into light and disappear into darkness… both literally and figuratively. Black backgrounds isolate the figures and put them in their own world, the world of their thoughts.  Nothing is there except what they’re feeling.

At best, I hope my work continues to be both contemporary and timeless. If there is a theme, it is personal struggle. This struggle is universal, but also unique to each of us

Curriculum Vitae 

SELECTED AWARDS & HONORS

2016

Best of Show, The Salmagundi Club 38th Annual Juried Painting & Sculpture Exhibition for Non-Members, Salmagundi Club, New York, New York

Grand Prize, International Artist Magazine “Favorite Subjects Challenge”

Finalist, 12th International Art Renewal Center Salon

Mrs. John Newington Award for Excellence, Hudson Valley Art Association 83rd Annual National Juried Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, New York

First Place Colored Pencil, The Artist’s Magazine All-Media Competition

Award for Exceptional Merit, Colored Pencil Society of America 24th Annual International Exhibition, The American Art Company, Tacoma, Washington

First Place, Jerry’s Artarama National Self-Portrait Contest

First Place, National Society of Artists 32nd National Juried Show, Rosenberg Library, Galveston, Texas 

Finalist, The Hunting Art Prize, Friedkin Corporate Campus, Houston, Texas

Honorable Mention, Colored Pencil Society of America ArtSpectations

Best of Show, Texas & Neighbors Regional Art Competition, Irving Arts Center, Irving, Texas

First Place Pastel/Graphics, Richardson Civic Art Society 50th Regional Juried Exhibition, Charles Eismann Center for the Performing Arts, Richardson, Texas

2015

Derwent / Conte a Paris – ColArt Americas Award for Exceptional Merit, Colored Pencil Society of America 23rd International Exhibition, Oglethorpe Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia

Best of Show, Colored Pencil Society of America Fall ArtSpectations

Best of Show, Pencil Art Society Member International Juried Exhibition

Second Place Other Media, Richeson75 International Figure/Portrait Art Exhibit, Richeson School of Art and Gallery, Kimberly, Wisconsin 

National Finalist, The Williams Prize in Drawing for Emerging Artists, The Artists for Artists Project

Best of Show, ArTexas Competition, Salado Village Artists, Salado Civic Center, Salado, Texas 

Honorable Mention, Colored Pencil Society of America Spring ArtSpectiations

Judge’s Choice Award, Richardson Civic Art Society 49th Regional Juried Exhibition, Charles Eismann Center for the Performing Arts, Richardson, Texas

SOLO EXHIBITION

“Face Reality,” RJD Gallery, Sag Harbor, New York, October 10 – December 15, 2016

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2016

“The Princess and the Provocateur,” RJD Gallery, Sag Harbor, New York 

Colored Pencil Society of American 24th Annual International Exhibition, The American Art Company, Tacoma, Washington 

Salmagundi Annual Painting & Sculpture Exhibition for Non-Members, Salmagundi Club, New York, New York 

Hudson Valley Art Association 83rd Annual National Juried Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, New York

INDA 11, International Drawing Annual Exhibitions in Print, Manifest Drawing Center, Cincinnati, Ohio

The Hunting Art Prize, Friedkin Corporate Campus, Houston, Texas

Texas National Art Competition & Exhibition, Stephen F. Austin University Gallery, Nacogdoches, Texas

Richardson Civic Art Society 50th Annual Regional Juried Exhibit, Charles Eismann Center for the Performing Arts, Richardson, Texas 

Texas & Neighbors 31st Regional Art Exhibition, Irving Arts Center, Irving, Texas

2015

American Artists Professional League 87th Grand National Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, New York

Colored Pencil Society of America International Exhibition, Oglethorpe Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia

Pencil Art Society Member International Juried Exhibition

The Richeson75 International Figure/Portrait Art Exhibit, Richeson School of Art and Gallery, Kimberly, Wisconsin

Artspectations, Colored Pencil Society of America

National Society of Artists Juried National Show, The Center for the Arts & Sciences, Clute, Texas 

Visual Arts Alliance Juried Membership Exhibition, 1600 Smith Street Gallery, Houston, Texas 

Art Hop Juried Exhibition, Georgetown Art Center, Georgetown, Texas 

ArTexas, Salado Village Artists, Salado Civic Center, Salado, Texas 

MEMBERSHIPS

Colored Pencil Society of America
International Guild of Realism
Portrait Society of America
Woodlands Art League 

ARTICLES & PUBLICATIONS

2017

“Strokes of Genius 9: Creative Discoveries,” North Light Books

2016

International Artist Magazine, “Precision with Pencils,” December Issue, pgs. 4-5

American Art Collector Magazine, “Anatomy of Light” December Issue, pgs. 116-119

American Art Collector Magazine, “Jesse Lane: Face Reality,” October Issue, pgs. 78-79

Southwest Art Magazine, “21 Under 31,” September Issue, pg. 97

“INDA 11, International Drawing Annual,” published by Manifest Drawing Center, Cincinnati, Ohio

DRAW Portraits in Colored Pencil: The Ultimate Step by Step Guide, co-authored with Ann Kullberg and others, pgs. 64-73

The Artist’s Magazine, “A Stroke Above the Rest,” July/August Issue, pg. 77

CP Treasures: Colored Pencil Masterworks from Around the Globe, Volume 4, by Ann Kullberg, pg 61

Color Magazine, Cover Artist, September Issue, pgs. 4-7

The Woodlands Lifestyles & Homes, “Jesse Lane Now Represented by New York Art Gallery,” ” August Issue, pg. 101

2015

Colored Pencil Magazine, Featured Cover Artist, December Issue, pgs. 10-13

The 2015 Winners’ Catalog, The Williams Prize in Drawing for Emerging Artists, The Artist For Artists Project, pgs. 44-45

The Richeson75 International Figure/Portrait 2015 Book, Richeson School of Art & Gallery, pgs. 63-64

The Woodlands Lifestyles & Homes, “Colored Pencil Artwork Drawing Attention,” October Issue, pgs. 122-123

The Woodlands Villager, “Seeing Things: Local Artist Studies Abroad,” August 13, pg. 12A

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science in Visualization, Texas A&M University, 2014

Santa Chiara Study Center, semester-abroad art classes, Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy, 2013