For JP Wackenstedt, her inspiration comes in the form of a 7-year-old child who made her career as an artist blossom in new ways.
The San Diego mother, who will showcase her artwork at the annual Mission Fed ArtWalk on April 29 and April 30 in Little Italy, said being a parent taught her to be more disciplined with her time, but also strengthened her resolve to create the best art possible.
“Being a mother requires an insane amount of sacrifice and can create a significant amount of self doubt,” Wackenstedt said. “I think it requires a lot of time, effort, and thought with and about your child — as well as, an almost painful dose of brutal honesty with oneself to truly understand what’s going on with them. It can be very much the same with art. Being an artist is difficult and scary because it requires a lot of sacrifice and a driving force based on faith in oneself, often well before there’s any evidence for it.”
With the overlapping of being a mother and an artist, Wackenstedt said her child has shaped her career in many ways.
“He is a huge inspiration in my work in many ways, and you will see him in many of my paintings,” Wackenstedt said. “The last eight years have taught me to appreciate all of the small moments in each day because anything in life can change incredibly quickly. This has more or less become the main theme in most of my work.”
Other family members have played a role in who Wackenstedt is today, she said. In fact, her mother was a painter and her grandmother was a seamstress.
“She had this tiny but incredible sewing room full of fabric, sequins, yarn, paint and almost every type of craft supply you could imagine,” Wackenstedt said. “I spent most of my childhood in that room.”
She majored in studio art at UC San Diego and continued her education by taking classes at SDSU. She said her most meaningful work happened in 2019 during an SDSU class with Professor Eva Struble.
“I would say my most meaningful work is probably Birthday #1,” Wackenstedt said. “It’s a compilation of scenes of early birthday parties at the first house I lived in. [Struble] really helped me break out of stiff patterns and think of ways to introduce novelty in my work. I think this was maybe the fifth painting I did in that class, and it was probably the first painting I’ve done that I felt captured exactly what I wanted to say in the way I wanted to say it to the best of my ability. Now I’m really working on refining that style and my technical skill.”
The public can meet Wackenstedt and view her work at ArtWalk this month where she will be in Booth 334 on Cedar Street. She will also have a show at the Encinitas Community Center on Sept. 9.
“My hope anytime someone views my art is that they see a part of themselves in it,” Wackenstedt said. “Consequently, they are prompted to be grateful in the ordinary moments, to enjoy the time that they have here and now and do everything they can to live it to the best and fullest.”
Mission Fed’s annual ArtWalk will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 29 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 30. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, go to artwalksandiego.org.
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San Diego Moms is published every Saturday. Have a story idea? Email hoaq@timesofsandiego.com and follow her on Instagram at @hoawritessd.