Jess Mudgett

Fort Collins, Colorado

Horses, birds, cowboys and a lot of country between them. Jess Mudgett grew up in Colorado with a history teacher for a father and the American West lodged firmly in his imagination. His work pulls those stories into bold shapes and lines with the punch of tattoo flash. You can spot one from across the room.

He works in ink, on walls and on forgotten objects picked up along the road. At SOMOS, that Western vocabulary kept its accent, while surf sessions, new faces and long studio hours worked their way into the process. Most pieces found homes before he left. A few stayed with us. The West got a little closer to the water.