A-J Pesce

About the Artist

My work is an exploration of art as a dynamic form of communication and a medium for building meaningful connections. As an educator and artist, I see my vocation as teaching, which is inseparable from my creative practice.  Throughout my career, I have grown alongside my students, starting from teaching middle school art and working my way to high school, eventually becoming the chair of an art department. This progression has deepened my understanding of the arts, pushing me to constantly refine my craft and my teaching approach. I see each step in my career as a building block that has brought me to this point, and the work I present here is an outcome of both the rigorous practice and the joy of teaching. Primarily focused on 2D media, my work in this portfolio showcases my strengths in painting, drawing, and printmaking. My classical training in historical materiality practices and conservation has empowered me to replicate diverse artistic styles and subject matters. But perhaps even more important to my practice is my commitment to making art a collaborative, interpretive space where each viewer finds personal meaning. I believe that an artwork’s significance often emerges through reception—that it unfolds in conversation with the viewer’s context, emotions, and experiences.