Jessyjo Darling (She/Her)

Jessyjo Darling is an earth pigment artist dedicated to the practice of turning soil and stone into paint using time-honored techniques. Born in Western Australia, she works nomadically between California and Australia, creating site-specific works that carry the memory of the landscapes from which they are gathered. Her early inspiration came from her grandmother, Jo; an accomplished painter who would commission small aircrafts to capture aerial photographs as references for her abstracted landscapes. This early exposure to scale, land, and perspective deeply shaped Jessyjo’s ownrelationship to place. Jessyjo later pursued a Bachelor of Design in Melbourne before relocating to New York, where she gained professional experience across fashion, graphic design, and architecture; disciplines that continue to inform the material precision and spatial sensitivity of her practice.

Artist Statement:

Drawn to the millions of years of history held within a single stone, I turn earth into paint. As a child, we were constantly moving, my sense of home always shifting. I sought permanence in the land itself. By working directly with soil and mineral, I anchor myself. Within the dirt of these places, I find belonging.

I gather small quantities of earth, rock, and mineral with care, grinding each by hand, honoring traditional land custodians and always leaving no trace.

Each pigment is catalogued by location, time, and environmental conditions. This record accompanies every work, gifting the collector not just an artwork, but a document of place.

My work reflects the unhurried cadence of nature, built through a layered process that bridges inner and outer landscapes, offering a space for quiet presence and discovery.

I see myself not as the sole author of these pieces, but as a conduit and excavator; uncovering what the land already holds. The earth carries geological, emotional, and ancestral memory. Through careful attention and process, I allow those stories to surface.