David Jester

I was born in Palm Springs, California and came out in my 20s. I have my MFA in Sculpture, but have been focused on oil painting for the past 8 years,

Desire is ageless. Over time it looks different in individuals and communities. When I was young I thought it disappeared at a certain age, mainly due to how aging was portrayed in the media. Truth is it does not, and I enjoy exploring the possibilities through my work.

My current works are entries into community, sexuality and desire as an aging gay man. The pieces focus on the space where desire and action meet, where connection and isolation reside, where age is both empowering and perplexing. Aging and physical decline provide me opportunities to re-evaluate my place in the world; often inspiring me to explore more deeply. 

We live generally in a youth focused world when it comes to desire, but in reality we can be sexual and desirable until the very end, or close to it at least. Sexuality is a natural and very human thing, it is okay. There should be no shame in it. Oscar Wilde wrote, “When your youth goes, your beauty will go with it…”, but I disagree. As you get older you develop other beauties, lasting beauties of knowledge and skill that are both fed by desire and are desirable.