Jes Weiner

age: 30 | Muralist and Portrait Artist | Self-employed

While driving in downtown Texarkana, one can’t help but notice all of the colorful murals which have recently added vibrant life to the area.  One of the talented artists who has created three of these one-of-a-kind masterpieces is Texarkana native, Jes Weiner.  “Shine Bright” and “Love Thy Neighbor” located in the Kress Gap, off of Broad Street, and the TXK Logo, facing the front doors of the Perot Theatre, are the creations that Jes brought to fruition. “I believe the murals add color, value, and life to a part of town that was loved but tired,” Jess describes. 
“I think when people see them, they are reminded that downtown Texarkana is worth investing time, money, resources, effort (and for me personally, a nine-hour road trip). I will never stop coming back to invest in my hometown. It’s worth the risk because the people of Texarkana are worth it.” 

Jes and her husband, Ian, are the parents of three children: Zion, Ivan, and August.  “This will sound cliché, but my greatest personal accomplishment is truly the birth of my children.  Building babies is HARD, and birthing them is harder, and RAISING them is even harder!” she admits. “But any parent reading this knows that every bit of it is worth it.”

Well-known for painting murals and custom portraits, Jess “adores” painting murals.  A blank wall, or even a run down area of town, instantly transforms into a hot spot for tourism, photography, and events when murals are added to the area.  “I love seeing the transformation that a space makes with just a little (or a lot) of paint. You instantly add value to a place and its surrounding areas when you take the time to beautify it,” she acknowledges. 

All three of Jes’ Texarkana murals are very special to her, but the one that took the most “effort and guts” was the TXK Logo mural. “Fifty hours on a boom lift was both physically and mentally taxing. I measured everything twice. Did the math twice. It had to be RIGHT,” Jes recalls.  “It was a commissioned piece, and it wasn’t my original design so there was no messing it up. No room for error. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done but I am still overflowing with pride and gratitude that I had the opportunity to make the big stamp on downtown TXK.”

Best piece of advice:

“Give it your ALL until the job is done, and finish strong. Have fun, and don’t let anyone embarrass you for having fun or being silly.” —John Flint, Jes’ father

Name something about you that very few people know:

“I play the ukulele.”