Born in an Underground Railroad house, Jesse Joshua Watson now lives with his wife and sons in Port Townsend, WA. His art has been in 38 Children’s Books, on dozens of book covers, featured in magazines, concert posters, album covers and in galleries and museums up and down the west coast as well as NYC. His work is in collections across the US, Caribbean, Brazil and Europe. Jesse has traveled the world extensively (6/7 continents – guess which one he hasn’t been to*), often engaging in social justice and crisis response in places like Haiti and Siberia. In addition to writing and illustrating books, exhibiting fine art and teaching art to kids, Jesse plays soccer religiously, music frequently and surfs the chilly waters of the NW as often as he can, which, as you probably guessed… is not nearly enough.   

Jesse had an early passion for art. In grade 9 he was selected for the California State Summer School for the Arts, an exceptional program for gifted artists. His mentor there, Nance O’Banion, encouraged Jesse to pursue bridging his passion for both art and social justice. Having learned the importance of hard work from his father who is a renowned artist himself, Jesse took the doctor’s route in college, attending ten different schools over eleven years. He did so to study under specific art instructors at colleges along the west coast. Since then Jesse has supported his family with his artwork, often working in large bodies of work that deeply explore important themes like place, perspective and culture over dozens of paintings.