What motivates an artist to choose one of the most painstaking visual storytelling methods available? In today’s podcast episode, host Scott “Sourdough” Power sits down with 2024 NOT REAL ART grant winner Jessie Rodriguez to discuss the meticulous craftsmanship behind her stop-motion movies. The Denver-based artist specializes in animated shorts created from linocuts, carefully carving and assembling every visual element of her "hand-printed movies."
Her animations, selected for film festivals in Denver, Portugal, and Germany, explore themes such as grief, insomnia, and emotional resilience, balancing playful visuals with poignant narratives. Inspired by women filmmakers like silhouette animation pioneer Lotte Reiniger, Jessie’s hands-on approach reflects her commitment to experimentation and storytelling.
Join us as Jessie shares insight into her creative process, discusses the deeply personal themes in her films, and reflects on the significance of winning the 2024 NOT REAL ART grant. We also delve into her community-driven work with the Denver Tool Library and her multidisciplinary approach to creativity. Listen to our conversation with Jessie Rodriguez to hear her unique perspective on resilience, innovation, and the beauty of imperfection.
Quotes From This Episode
“It has been a matter of seeing where it goes and adapting to different venues because my main goal is to get [my work] out there. [Stop-motion animation] is an adaptable medium.” — Jessie Rodriguez [0:17:34]
“I always like to leave room in the process for changes to happen, for ideas to come because, in truth, I can never go from completely envisioning what I’m going to create to what happens in the studio. I always want [to leave room and flexibility] to bring it to life as I do it.” — Jessie Rodriguez [0:26:09]
“I love to create, but when I start getting into some of the heady details, it’s very challenging, and I often have to research it and ask questions.” — Jessie Rodriguez [0:38:46]
“Similar to my art, [the Denver Tool Library] is a very DIY space of people learning. I’m drawn to spaces like that because I find them very necessary. We shouldn’t gatekeep knowledge. We shouldn’t gatekeep trying to do things.” — Jessie Rodriguez [0:47:25]
“Having the right conditions to create matters as an artist.” — Jessie Rodriguez [0:56:13]
“[Stop-motion animation] is such a difficult medium, but it’s also impossible to get the results in any other way. It’s a labor of love because, sometimes, when I’m creating something, I’m suffering. I’m just like, ‘Why did I do this to myself? How will I get through this?’ But I know I will. There’s always evidence on the other side—I’ll find a way. There’s something about [being] on the other side and seeing all the pieces come together that is really rewarding. It’s magical to be on that end.” — Jessie Rodriguez [0:18:40]
“[My goals are] to continue to grow and find reception for what I do in the world and continue to be able to make. It’s always a balance as an artist of the amount of time spent behind a computer screen doing the applications and the work [with] the actual time that you also get to produce and work in. I want to build in a healthy balance of both of those.” — Jessie Rodriguez [0:54:56]
About Jessie Rodriguez
Jessie Rodriguez is based in Denver, Colorado. Her work has taken many different forms over the years, including printmaking, sculpture, digital art, installation, stop-motion, and video art. Her recent work is composed of linocut printmaking that she turns into short stop-motion films. The techniques used to make these films involve creating every visual element from scratch. Characters, textures, backgrounds, and text are made by hand carving each piece out of linoleum, hand printing it onto paper, cutting it out, arranging it, and shooting it frame by frame. There may be sewn pieces or extra attachments used to create movement. Using a range of paper types and green screen techniques to overlay background photos, she finds inspiration in bringing her ideas to life through small-scale filmmaking. By working in such a hands-on way, she can run her own home film studio, which allows her to have complete creative control over her work while pushing her to be inventive and resourceful.
Rodriguez is inspired to create by lived experiences and uses her artwork to tell stories to the viewer. They are often playful, but her work also explores themes such as insomnia, hoarding, grief, and loss. She is inspired by women filmmakers who have found creative ways to make their work using animation and film, such as Lotte Reiniger, who made her films entirely with shadow art and cut paper. She holds a BFA from the University of Colorado, studied art at the Escuela de Artes Plasticas (UNAM) in Mexico City, and attended the University of Sussex in Brighton, UK. Rodriguez has exhibited her artwork and films throughout Colorado, including Sideshow Studios, Raices Gallery, the Denver Digerati Animation Festival, Optica Lingua Studio, and Longmont Out Loud. Her animations have been selected for film festivals in Denver, Portugal, and Germany. When not creating art, she can be found schlepping tools at the Denver Tool Library and aiding in historic haunted cemetery tours. As she continues to grow as an artist, she looks forward to learning new mediums and incorporating them into her films and work.
Jessie Rodriguez: Website | Instagram | Grant Winner’s Exhibition