Inspiration

Beat Generation Jess Collins, known simply as “Jess” (1923-2004) could be regarded as one of many sources of inspiration for Picture-Text.

Jess devoted his life to art, and was a key figure in San Francisco's artistic development from the 1950s to his death. His life partner renowned poet Robert Duncan (d1988)was also a collaborator and supporter of Jess' work.

Currently a retrospective show entitled 'Jess: To and From the Printed Page' is touring in the US and focuses on his relationship with printed material, as food and inspiration for his literary, esoteric vision, and his rich, ongoing collaborations with literary figures such as Duncan, Jack Spicer, and Denise Levertov. The exhibition is a traveling show organized and circulated by iCI, (Independent Curators International), New York. The exhibition includes collages that the artist made for publication—books, magazines and other printed formats in which they were reproduced, as well as paintings, drawings, sculptures, a film, and an early sound recording.