For our latest artist spotlight, we caught up with painter Jess Cochrane, who finds magic in the mundane. We talked music, studio clothes, pointillism-but-not, and even what a garment inspired by her palette might look like. Here’s what she had to say.

What are you listening to at the moment?

A lot of Odeal, a lot of Larry June. A lot of Varnish La Piscine. A lot of Lausse The Cat. A lot of Billie Holiday. And always, always, always Wizkid. 

Where do you usually find inspiration for your work?

My work is very literal in the sense that i seek to interpret the every day through figurative oil painting.

I find inspiration in the mundane. I like to interrogate how we as a contemporary society are gathering and consuming our world. Modern technology, such as iPhones and social media inspire me and i like to draw a connecting line between contemporary society of now, and of historical impressionist and neo-impressionist paintings.

Favourite meal?

I mean, there are so many good ones. But i’m gonna say entrecôte. Steak and fries doused in that sauce and a light cheap French red. That’s s glorified adult happy meal. 

What’s your favourite thing to paint? Or favourite subject?

Within the context of painting the everyday and the mundane, i love painting figurative scenes of my friends together and i love painting a dining scene. I love painting phones hidden amongst the scenes like little Easter eggs for the viewer. 

How does a painting usually come together for you?

Through thousands of short Hand brush strokes that are reminiscent of pointillism, but are in their own realm rather than objectively derivative.

Do the clothes you wear change the way you paint?

Yes. If i’m not wearing clothes allocated to the studio, i am always more stiff in my body when painting. It’s an inevitably messy job so having clothes that im free to get paint on means i can just switch off a part of my brain. Equally, I don’t like wearing ugly rags in the studio. I like to feel like im dressed for the day as it makes me feel more switched on and ready to work. I don’t mind sacrificing nice clothes to the studio if it means i feel good in myself. I like to think about how they could one day be museum artefacts if i ever become that important in the art historical canon. 

Morning person or night owl when it comes to creating?

Barely either. Let’s call me a brunch person. When it comes to creating i think discipline and consistency are more important than waiting around for a time of day that feels more vibey than another. Although a Friday evening with a glass of wine and music is always a good choice. 

If you could design a piece of clothing based on one of your paintings, what would it look like?

I use Van Dyke Brown and Naples Yellow very heavily as base colours and i like to really use my studio clothes to offload excess paint on and they start to tell their own story. I think id design a pair of loose workwear trousers out of a sturdy material in either of my base paint colours. Made of a canvas-like material that takes paint well and the clothes can transform into their own artefact over time. I’d also love to design a skirt that’s both sexy, sturdy and has good pockets in the same vain.  

Jess wears pieces from our AW25 collection.