MOD Gallery & Space had a great Frist Friday last November 5, 2021, at 1809 McGee in Kansas City, Missouri. The featured artists for November were Teresa Dirks and Jacob Hess. Each artist has a unique style which made a nice balance in the gallery. In other words, the artist’s styles complemented each other nicely.
Teresa works with color that you will see in a beautiful sunset or the waves in the ocean with the multiple layered styles as in mother nature’s natural themes. Dirk’s style is more linear, whereas Jacob Hess’s style is more layered and three-dimensional with his woodwork art. Dirks states that it was very flat and Mississippi Delta! Watching all the beautiful sunsets and horizons is much of Dirk’s inspiration.
“My art deeply reflects my love of nature, its vibrancy, and the power of color and its effect on our lives. Color has power. Color is primal. The interplay and juxtaposition of that color and that relationship can take us places that transcend. In a way, much like a horizon can transport us. I invite you to stop, reflect and allow art to be an experience of your very own.” States Teresa Dirks of Teresa Dirks Studio. “I feel as society and technology merge, it is now more important than ever to connect with nature, connect with humanity and connect with art and bring those experiences together.”
Dirks moved to Kansas City about ten years ago, coming from a small town in Southeast Missouri about two hours from Memphis. Dirks lived on a farm for close to thirty years. Dirks likes to call it a geodesic dome where she raised her family.
Dirks grew up around many creative people who inspired her with their quilting, gardening, and creativity! When her boys were young, she began studying photography and started hand painting using Marshall paints on black and white. In the mid-’90s, Dirks got back into school when her boys got older. She studied art and discovered painting and has been painting ever since. Dirks also taught art for several years.
Jacob Hess is originally from St. Joseph, Missouri, and has lived in Kansas City for about a year. Hess has been into art his whole life and is a self-taught artist. He went to college at Missouri Western to play football and dropped out to become a full-time artist. Believe it or not, Hess was terrified of saws and working with wood initially.
“One day, I wanted to push my work a little further and ended up doing this,” states artist Jacob Hess. Hess has no formal art education and says, “I just dropped out of college from Missouri Western and started doing creating my art.” He calls his work style with layered wood pieces that he creates and designs “mixed medium.”
Hess’s favorite artists that give him inspiration are Frank Stella, Wassily Kandinsky, and Robert Rauschenberg! While Dirk’s favorite inspirational artists are Rothko, Frankenthaler, Diebenkorn, O’keeffe, and Thiebaud.
Both artists’ art in the same room was very complimentary. Hess works in a layered woodworking style with his shapes cut out and layered, creating some fantastic modernistic work. Dirks works on canvas, wood, and a mixture more linearly.
Photography by Kat Day
Talking with Hess today, he told me that he would be doing a solo show that he is very excited about, so stay tuned for the posted date on Jacob Hess’s Facebook page! The details are still being worked out. Hess just finished a fantastic piece of the Boxer, Jake Paul. You can see the painting at Jacob Hess Art.
These two artists will have a great 2022! I can’t wait to see their future work in the new year!