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The days of visiting galleries and exhibitions are temporarily on hold. The lost opportunity to get motivation from walking through new spaces and soaking in different works is a void The Big Idea wants to help fill. 

Our ‘House Visits’ series takes you into the homes and working spaces of people in the creative world, to see what they have collected on their travels, what it means to them and what they’re using as inspiration inside their own four walls.

Jessica Pearless - Auckland

Like many of us working in the creative sector, I work across multiple areas. I am a visual artist with a practice that centres on painting and site-specific installation, including a particular fondness for abstraction.

Alongside my creative practice, I have worked in the arts sector in a variety of capacities for over twenty years including running dealer galleries, in the art auction market and as an artist mentor for Boosted and The Big Idea.

In 2018 I established Paragon Matter with Jonathan Organ, we are an art services agency who specialise in services for the arts sector including artist mentoring, art education classes, valuations to the cultural sector and art events, including the Owhango Summer Sculpture Show. This year Jonathan and I became the new Directors of Northart, the North Shore’s community gallery. It is particularly exciting for me to be at the stage in my career where I can really give back to the art sector. 

Life has changed somewhat during lockdown. It means that we can’t be physically present at the gallery or meet with our artists face to face. We have been embracing the situation through digital technology, looking at what this means for the art experience overall and what it means to be a maker of ‘things' in this environment. Jonathan and I have two young sons, we are focusing on keeping them content during this time. 

Records

My record collection has been on high rotation. Music is a daily essential for me that keeps my motivation up while offering a bit of escapism, reminding me of many life experiences.

Books

I’m an avid collector of books, particularly non-fiction; most are art, architecture or modern design related. I have a penchant for vintage do-it-yourself manuals, architectural interiors and floor plans have long been a reference in my artistic practice.

Objets d'Art

I consider collecting my friends and colleagues art and objects to be a real privilege, these works inspire me on a daily basis in a number of ways. Learning how others see the world through art is a constant fascination. I like to arrange all sorts of objects together to develop discussions between things, we are constantly reshuffling our home environment to accommodate new things as many collectors do.

Garden

My garden is a constant work in progress, an ongoing cycle of growth and interest to me. It includes vegetables, succulents, fruit trees, I like the fact that I can be creative in my garden, but ultimately I never really have any control over it. 

Kitchen Things

Like many vignettes in our house, the kitchen is very layered. I get a lot of joy from learning new ways to prepare food and poring over cookbooks, much like the garden, cooking is a constant experiment.

Jessica Pearless.