ST. GEORGE — From the weight of emotional pain to the beautiful journey that leads to light and happiness, one artist is baring his soul on canvas while encouraging emerging artists to do the same.
“Most of my pieces are themed around the transition from dark to light,” artist Joaquin Jimenez said. “From trauma to healing, from brokenness to wholeness. I love that journey, and all of us experience that in our life.”
Fascinated by the journey of change, Jimenez said he hopes his art will evoke emotions that lead to discussions, creating the opportunity for connection. Expressing himself through media such as watercolor, oil, acrylic, spray paint and more, he uses whatever he feels conveys the message or emotional intention of each piece.
“Art is a place where visual art comes together with emotion, spirituality and everything that is human,” Jimenez said. “For me, it’s capturing an emotion within a story.”
Born in Puerto Rico, Jimenez said he spent most of his childhood in Miami, Florida. As a child, he kept to himself and drew comic books, using art as a form of communication. He pursued art by attending Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho) as a first-year art student. Feeling intimidated by the art world, he chose to take the more “sensible” route and switched his career path to business.
And for the next 25 years, he stopped creating art altogether.
“The truth is, I was too insecure to have something so intimate put out there and receive feedback,” Jimenez said. “I couldn’t even finish something. I had some kind of block and I just couldn’t do it.”
During a personal life crisis in 2018, Jimenez said he looked for a way to channel his feelings, express his journey and heal. Initially feeling like he needed to tweak parts of himself, he soon realized it was necessary to completely deconstruct who he was. He picked up a pencil, and for the first time, finally finished an art piece — a picture of his son.
“Part of that healing for me was picking up that pencil again,” he said. “The core of why I had that block for so long is that it took real-life pain to kind of break through it.”
He immersed himself in the Northern Utah arts community by attending his first Connect event — a free community monthly pop-up art exhibit that invites artists to showcase up to two pieces of their own art. Put on by the Utah Art Alliance, attendees vote for their favorite pieces, and the art with the highest votes is placed on display for a whole month.
“I did my first Connect and mine got voted in,” he said. “It’s that moment someone else sees your work as art that changes everything.”
With the intention to spark dialog, some of Jimenez’s pieces may be seen as “controversial.” His piece titled “Dogma,” for example, portrays a nun being choked out not by religion but by the toxicity of religious culture.
“It doesn’t make her a non-believer or make this wrong, which is why she has a gas mask,” he said. “Sometimes culture chokes out the beauty of religion, the beauty of loving thy neighbor as thyself.”
Another piece titled “Disconnected” features a woman who feels disconnected from both herself and life, resulting in her putting on a mask every day. While her home can be a place to relax and feel comfortable, she isn’t, due to the constant chaos inside — a place Jimenez said he’s been many times.
Shortly after moving to Southern Utah, he took a job at the Arrowhead Gallery. When the Utah Art Alliance approached him about bringing the Connect event to St. George for the first time, he was all in.
“Most of my life was spent about me,” he said. “So I find just as much or even greater joy by helping other people get started and connecting to themselves and the art community.”
Jimenez said art can be an emotional and spiritual connection for the artist and the person who connects with the piece. He encouraged all artists to share their talents and bare their souls because the reward is worth it.
“You connect emotionally and spiritually,” he said. “And to be able to do that with someone else is something you don’t want to miss out on. So if you enjoy it, if it’s something that brings that out in you, why not share it with others?”
Connect is a free event that’s open to the public and requires no registration or membership. Events occur at the St. George Museum on the first Friday of each month. For more information, see the Utah Art Alliance Facebook or Instagram page.
For more information on Joaquin Jimenez and available art, visit his website or follow @artbyjoaquin on Instagram.
Photo Gallery
"Shattered" by Joaquin Jimenez is pictured | Photo courtesy of Joaquin Jimenez, St. George News
"Tag Headz" by Joaquin Jimenez is pictured | Photo courtesy of Joaquin Jimenez, St. George News
"Dogma" by Artist Joaquin Jimenez is framed on display, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Joaquin Jimenez, St. George News
"Nesting Thoughts" by Joaquin Jimenez is pictured | Photo courtesy of Joaquin Jimenez, St. George News
Artist Joaquin Jimenez holds one of his art pieces inside Red Cliffs Gallery in St. George, Utah on March 6, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
An art piece by Joaquin Jimenez is on display at Red Cliffs Gallery in St. George, Utah on March 6, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Art by Joaquin Jimenez is on display at Red Cliffs Gallery in St. George, Utah on March 6, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
The art piece “Disconnected” by Joaquin Jimenez shows a woman feeling disconnected from herself and the need to put on a mask, St. George, Utah, March 6, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
An art piece by Joaquin Jimenez shows the moment a person pauses before making the decision to create change, St. George, Utah, March 6, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Artist Joaquin Jimenez speaks at Connect in St. George, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Joaquin Jimenez, St. George News
Connect Attendees view art on display in St. George, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Joaquin Jimenez, St. George News
Artist Joaquin Jimenez holds a piece of his art during a Connect event in St. George, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Joaquin Jimenez, St. George News
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.