For contemporary realist painter Jesse Mangerson, the artistic path hasn’t been a straight line, but a journey packed with meaning.
At the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, Mangerson chose illustration as his major. “I liked the idea of drawing situations, of explaining things,” he says.
After an internship at The New Yorker, Mangerson planned to return to the magazine — but he and his future wife, Carissa, decided to move west for an adventure rather than east for a career. Then the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks happened, and the couple — who wed five days later — felt like they made the right decision. They headed to Boulder, Colorado, where they spent five years before moving to San Francisco so Mangerson could start graduate school at the Academy of Art University.
As he pursued an MFA in illustration, Mangerson found himself increasingly drawn to painting. He would spend hours in his studio creating oil paintings of cherries, lemons, figs, grapes and tomatoes, and later cityscapes and vintage cars. Ultimately, Mangerson reconciled the two approaches to art, bringing an illustrator’s eye for detail and sense of storytelling to painting.
These days in Madison, where he and his family have lived for the past 12 years, Mangerson paints and teaches virtually from his home studio for the Academy of Art. His art ranges from still life works of fruits and vegetables, to portraits, to landscapes — and many are commissions. Along with time spent in nature, it’s a mix Mangerson loves.
“The fine art world is a massive industry, and there are so many paths you can take,” he says.
“Not everyone is going to be a gallery painter, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be a painter and have a life as a painter. Find a way to keep making paintings — that’s the goal for me.”
Jesse Mangerson
THE BALANCE : Getting outdoors has been essential to Mangerson. “I go mountain biking a lot, and in the winter, I ski,” he says. “Those things help me balance out my existence.” He’s also become passionate about foraging for mushrooms. “It gets me out into the woods and helps me be open to whatever presents itself.”
- Photo by Mitch Tanis
Jesse Mangerson little girl painting
THE PROCESS: Mangerson often begins with photographic references — but they are just a starting point. “I have ideas in my mind about composition,” he says. “I work through those ideas with pencil. It’s just shapes — rhythm, movement, balance.” He’ll return to the photos for details, but he decides where things go. “The idea is to create something that exists only in a painting.”
- Photo by Mitch Tanis
Jesse Mangerson studio
THE STUDIO: Mangerson’s studio is a cozy, gray-walled room in his home. On one side, an upholstered chair sits alongside a computer, where Mangerson edits photos and teaches online courses. On the other is his painting spot, with a tall easel, a small table and a mounted screen.
- Photo by Mitch Tanis
Sardine Painting
THE BIG COLLAB : Phillip Hurley and John Gadau, chefs and co-owners of Sardine, commissioned Mangerson to paint a large-scale still life for the restaurant. The artwork featuring sardines on a marble table measures 60 by 56 inches and hangs in Sardine’s dining room. The artist did a follow-up piece for Sardine’s lower level, a smaller still life of Meyer lemons.
Creative Process Jesse Mangerson
Jesse Mangerson
THE BALANCE : Getting outdoors has been essential to Mangerson. “I go mountain biking a lot, and in the winter, I ski,” he says. “Those things help me balance out my existence.” He’s also become passionate about foraging for mushrooms. “It gets me out into the woods and helps me be open to whatever presents itself.”
- Photo by Mitch Tanis
Jesse Mangerson little girl painting
THE PROCESS: Mangerson often begins with photographic references — but they are just a starting point. “I have ideas in my mind about composition,” he says. “I work through those ideas with pencil. It’s just shapes — rhythm, movement, balance.” He’ll return to the photos for details, but he decides where things go. “The idea is to create something that exists only in a painting.”
- Photo by Mitch Tanis
Jesse Mangerson studio
THE STUDIO: Mangerson’s studio is a cozy, gray-walled room in his home. On one side, an upholstered chair sits alongside a computer, where Mangerson edits photos and teaches online courses. On the other is his painting spot, with a tall easel, a small table and a mounted screen.
- Photo by Mitch Tanis
Sardine Painting
THE BIG COLLAB : Phillip Hurley and John Gadau, chefs and co-owners of Sardine, commissioned Mangerson to paint a large-scale still life for the restaurant. The artwork featuring sardines on a marble table measures 60 by 56 inches and hangs in Sardine’s dining room. The artist did a follow-up piece for Sardine’s lower level, a smaller still life of Meyer lemons.
From the Artist: Jesse Mangerson
Mentor Moment
When I was an intern at The New Yorker, I had the gumption to approach [accomplished editorial illustrator] David Levine. I called him and we did breakfast. He opened my eyes to the idea that it’s not illustration or fine art, it can be both.
Lessons in Clay
I came back to Eau Claire when Carissa was finishing school and I built an anagama kiln in the woods. Once I really immersed myself in a medium I couldn’t control, I realized I didn’t need control. The need for the perfect line fell away.
Auto Correct
In San Francisco, I decided I wanted to do cityscapes, but didn’t want to paint cars. I was walking along Hyde Street one night, the fog was rolling in, and I looked up to the left and there’s this Volkswagen Beetle sitting there. I wandered around this bug taking photo after photo after photo. I thought, “This is going to be a painting.” But it was more like painting a fig or a tomato to me than a cityscape — the car was the object. The thing I didn’t want to paint became the subject.
Find Jesse Mangerson | jessemangerson.wixsite.com/jessemangerson | Instagram: @jesse.mangerson
Spot Jesse’s paintings of sardines and lemons hanging at Sardine.
Katie Vaughn is a contributing writer and former editor at Madison Magazine.
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