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Jesse Baggs
@jessebaggs.bsky.social
68 followers 110 following 280 posts
Hardpressed by reality. https://jessebaggs.com
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Jesse Baggs @jessebaggs.bsky.social · Sep 4
I finally added a background to my oil pastel drawing “You Know I’m Gettin’ Silly” and fixed some other details while I was at it. I also changed the name to “Zugzwang,” which is a German phrase associated with chess that means, “compulsion to move.”
Oil-pastel drawing of a mustachioed gentleman in a purple suit taking a large step across a dark-wood stage, one leg elevated and bent as if to execute a kick. The man supports himself with a cane held in his right hand while doffing a purple hat with his left. The hat has a light-blue band that matches his tie and socks; he also wears a brown belt that matches the color of his shoes, while the white of his hair, which grows from tufts above his ears but not the top of his head, matches his shirt and gloves. The man has green skin and bright brown eyes. Below the stage in the background are rows of dark-red theater chairs, all empty.
Reposted by Jesse Baggs
elleisanisland.bsky.social
no shade to my younger self but where were you going with this
September 30, 2026 at 9:42 PM
Reposted by Jesse Baggs
portmanteauface.bsky.social
Take me down to the paradise city where you learn to read and your posts aren’t shitty
October 1, 2026 at 12:03 AM
jessebaggs.bsky.social
I made a new flyer for Coffee Zombie Collective! This one announces their upcoming Halloween show at Moe’s Alley on October 10th with opener Rabbit Truck.
Digital painting of a monster sitting on a stump in the swamp surrounded by dark trees, dark water, and a dark sky. He crosses one leg and looks down at his phone as he lifts a wooden mug to his mouth. Spooky text (“Ghoulish Fright” font by Brian J. Bonislawsky from DaFont.com) fills up the left side of the painting in alternating lines of light purple, dark purple, and green, reading, “Coffee Zombie Collective / with Special Guest / Rabbit Truck / October Tenth / Beeeeewaaaaare! / Tickets at / MoesAlley / DotCom.” A signature in the bottom right corner reads, “Baggs.”
October 1, 2026 at 12:29 AM
Reposted by Jesse Baggs
sineadthefae.bsky.social
“not talented, not skilled, but a secret third thing: winging it whole-assedly”
September 30, 2026 at 12:52 AM
Reposted by Jesse Baggs
marisakabas.bsky.social
bootlicking will not save you.
September 18, 2026 at 9:35 PM
jessebaggs.bsky.social
CrockerCon 2026 is less than two weeks away and there is some amazing programming scheduled! However, first things first–I’ve been saying for months that the event starts at noon but it actually begins at 10am, which means two more hours of fun! Adjust your calendars accordingly.
Crocker Art Museum
www.crockerart.org
September 13, 2026 at 1:42 AM
jessebaggs.bsky.social
Nepo baby sad www.vulture.com/article/zoe-...
Zoe Kazan’s Ghost Story
Adapting East of Eden required her to confront the family legacy she’d always tried to avoid.
www.vulture.com
September 10, 2026 at 4:38 PM
jessebaggs.bsky.social
I finally added a background to my oil pastel drawing “You Know I’m Gettin’ Silly” and fixed some other details while I was at it. I also changed the name to “Zugzwang,” which is a German phrase associated with chess that means, “compulsion to move.”
Oil-pastel drawing of a mustachioed gentleman in a purple suit taking a large step across a dark-wood stage, one leg elevated and bent as if to execute a kick. The man supports himself with a cane held in his right hand while doffing a purple hat with his left. The hat has a light-blue band that matches his tie and socks; he also wears a brown belt that matches the color of his shoes, while the white of his hair, which grows from tufts above his ears but not the top of his head, matches his shirt and gloves. The man has green skin and bright brown eyes. Below the stage in the background are rows of dark-red theater chairs, all empty.
September 4, 2026 at 1:25 AM
jessebaggs.bsky.social
Comics champion Eben Burgoon responded on Instagram to my last post and pointed out that the image of The Atom fighting his way out of a Venus flytrap was indeed connected to the Sacramento art scene and not, as I had assumed, just a fun comics-related image. [1/7] bsky.app/profile/jess...
jessebaggs.bsky.social Jesse Baggs @jessebaggs.bsky.social · Aug 28
… The Atom #1, written by Gardner Fox, pencilled by Gil Kane, inked by Murphy Anderson, and lettered by Gasper Saladino. As far as I can tell, none of these gentlemen have any connection to Sacramento, but it is very fun! [14/15]
The Atom Vol 1 1
"Master of the Plant World!": When a series of mysterious robberies occur which involve strange highly intelligent plants, Ray Palmer decides to investigate as the Atom when he learns about the strang...
dc.fandom.com
August 30, 2026 at 5:07 PM
jessebaggs.bsky.social
There’s one stop left on my 2026 Spring/Summer Mini-Tour and that’s CrockerCon, baby, my favorite con of all! [1/15]
Flyer in the style of the late 80s / early 90s featuring a pink background spattered randomly with tiny purple squares and triangles. The text is a darker purple, uses the font “Gwenchana” by Syaf Rizal, and is separated by scribbled green lines. Green circles also highlight aspects of the text, which reads, “The Jesse Baggs 2026 Spring / Summer Mini-Tour. Sunday, May 21, 5:30-8:00PM: Art Auction Preview Party; Crocker Art Museum; 216 O St, Sacramento. Saturday, Aug 8, Time TBA: ‘You Are Here’ Art Show; Old Soul at Weatherstone; 812 21st St, Sacramento. Sunday, Sep 20, 10:00am-5:00pm: CrockerCon; Crocker Art Museum; 216 O St, Sacramento.”
August 28, 2026 at 4:13 AM
jessebaggs.bsky.social
Here’s my other new piece, which I consider a companion to “Fecund Slop”: “Purification.” Acrylic on canvas, 16” x 20”.
Painting of a woman who appears to be on fire. She has yellow skin and blue hair; her eye sockets are either empty or in shadow, her mouth open. Her hands are pressed together in front of her chest as if in prayer. The fire is suggested by scribbles and spatters of warm-colored paint.
August 16, 2026 at 12:23 AM
jessebaggs.bsky.social
The You Are Here opening at Weatherstone was great fun! Gabriel Sanford did a fantastic job hanging & arranging the art, while Terry Chunn and Tara Leigh were talented and lovely co-exhibitors. I also got to meet the other half of You Are Here, Tony Allen (and his wife!) for the first time … [1/4]
Photograph of Sacramento-based artists Jesse Baggs, Gabriel Sanford, and Tony Allen standing in front of various works of art by Baggs for the August, 2026 You Are Here art show at Weatherstone.
August 12, 2026 at 4:36 AM
jessebaggs.bsky.social
Don’t forget that I’ll be at Weatherstone today from 4-6 for the opening of the new You Are Here show! As always, Gabriel Sanford did a great job of arranging the art, which this month includes work by Terry Chunn, Tara Leigh, and me. Come check it out if you can!
“Weatherstone 2026a” by Gabriel Sanford. A photograph of various works of art hanging on gray walls, depicting President Trump, flowers, cactuses, and an alligator.
August 8, 2026 at 10:14 PM
jessebaggs.bsky.social
Here’s the first of two new pieces debuting at Weatherstone tomorrow: “Fecund Slop;” acrylic on canvas, 14” x 18”. I’m moving away from using colored markers as they make better rough drafts than finished pieces. Working in paint and oil pastels allows for the rough draft to become the final piece.
Painting of a jaggedly drawn Mickey Mouse as seen from the shoulders up, his eyes googly, his teeth sharp, his posture slouched. His ears and the ball of his nose are dark blue and his skin peach-toned. Mickey’s outline is made up of overlapping strokes of blue and red; the entire painting is splattered with multi-colored dots and scribbles. The background is green.
August 8, 2026 at 4:01 AM
jessebaggs.bsky.social
This weekend I have the privilege of participating in my second art show with You Are Here … [1/8]
Website banner featuring white, all-caps, sans-serif text on a black background, the black textured with barely-perceptible, dark-gray lines of distorted wood grain. Small, all-caps text at the top of the image reads, “GABRIEL SANFORD” (on the left), “SACRAMENTO” (in the center), and “TONY ALLEN” (on the right). Large text in the middle states, “YOU ARE HERE,” with “ARE HERE” underlined. Small text on the bottom surrounded by a rectangle with rounded sides reads, “ARTIST HELPING ARTIST.”
August 5, 2026 at 1:09 AM
jessebaggs.bsky.social
July is winding down but my 2026 Spring/Summer Mini-Tour is picking back up! There are two events left. (1/3)
Flyer in the style of the late 80s / early 90s featuring a pink background spattered randomly with tiny purple squares and triangles. The text is a darker purple, uses the font “Gwenchana” by Syaf Rizal, and is separated by scribbled green lines. Green circles also highlight aspects of the text, which reads, “The Jesse Baggs 2026 Spring / Summer Mini-Tour. Sunday, May 21, 5:30-8:00PM: Art Auction Preview Party; Crocker Art Museum; 216 O St, Sacramento. Saturday, Jun 13, 6:00-8:00pm: 2nd Saturday in Natomas; Gold Bay Mortgage Grp; 3900 Lennane Dr #200, Sac. Saturday, Aug 8, 4:00-6:00pm: ‘You Are Here’ Art Show; Old Soul at Weatherstone; 812 21st St, Sacramento. Sunday, Sep 20, 10:00am-5:00pm: CrockerCon; Crocker Art Museum; 216 O St, Sacramento.”
July 31, 2026 at 3:00 AM
Reposted by Jesse Baggs
michaelhobbes.bsky.social
Centrists always present these takes as savvy "harsh truths" for the left, but they're the most pathetic kind of ignorant, cowardly self-soothing.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
July 27, 2026 at 2:14 PM
jessebaggs.bsky.social
THE STARS MY DESTINATION. As promised, here’s the color version of my grayscale reinterpretation of my colored-marker drawing of Hal Jordan! The background is from a photo I took of a dusty black table in my ceramics classroom; part of it looked like Jack Kirby’s Apokolips so I threw that in as well
Digital drawing of Green Lantern Hal Jordan floating in space against a sea of colored stars. He looks down in pleasure at his ring, which sits on his clenched fist and bursts with power. His other hand holds his lantern by the handle. In the bottom left corner the planet Apokolips can be seen, several burning industrial pits visible from space.
July 23, 2026 at 3:52 AM
jessebaggs.bsky.social
“Riven;” glazed ceramic, 2” tall by 2-3” in width. After the sea urchin (pic in reply), this is my favorite ceramic piece I’ve created so far. Still so small though!
Four photos of the same small ceramic bowl. The first two photos show the vase from the side; lines approximately one-sixteenths of an inch in width were carved vertically down the sides at various angles, intersecting randomly to create rough triangular shapes in the clay. A black glaze was applied and wiped off before firing, leaving dark streaks on the surface and within the lines. A third photo shows the vase from above; the glaze was applied to the interior but not wiped off and is revealed to be a dark metallic gold. The last photo shows the bowl from the bottom, where the lines from the sides continue underneath to form the words, “Baggs” and “May 26.”
July 22, 2026 at 5:24 AM
jessebaggs.bsky.social
Here’s a digital version of my Hal Jordan colored-marker drawing (photo in reply); color version next week.
Grayscale digital drawing of Green Lantern Hal Jordan floating in space among a sea of stars. Jordan looks down in pleasure at his ring, which sits on his clenched left fist and bursts with power. His right hand holds his lantern by the handle.
July 16, 2026 at 4:01 AM
jessebaggs.bsky.social
I was honored and privileged to have my art on the cover of this month’s issue of Natomas Magazine and to be featured on the inside pages as well!
Cover and page six of the July issue of “Natomas Magazine.” Most of the cover is taken up by the digital painting “How Bad I Was” by Jesse Baggs, which depicts a futuristic-looking woman–who is nude except for a Mayan-looking headset–breathing out a cloud of smoke that takes the form of a genie’s face. The magazine’s logo, a black, capital “N” atop a red square, sits in the upper left corner of the image along with the text, “Celebrate Neighbors.” Text in the middle reads, “Jesse Baggs Art [❡] United States 250 [❡] Community Loss [❡] Jenn Chawla [❡] Safal Mengi [❡] Tia’s Home Bistro [❡] Dining Dudes[.]” Handwritten in the bottom right corner is the name, “Baggs” and “2 of 5.” Page six contains a feature of Jesse Baggs. A photo on top of the page depicts Baggs standing in front of two of his pieces, one of a silly looking Batman and the other the image used on the cover, “How Bad I Was. A block quote reads, “Jesse Baggs has explored the subconscious through automatic drawing using a variety of tools. He turned some of those results into larger digital art.” Accompanying the text are two more works of art by Baggs, one of a silly looking Super Mario, the other of a wizard gurning at the viewer. A box in the bottom right corner says, “Learn more [❡] Jesse Baggs [❡] www.jessebaggs.com [❡] Natomas Second Saturday [❡] www.secondsaturdayinnatomas.com [❡] N magazine online [❡] www.nmag.net[.]”
July 9, 2026 at 2:50 AM
jessebaggs.bsky.social
“Nothing is Fixed In Place” by S. Baggs. Yarn glued on paper. Happy Independence Day, everyone! And don’t forget ...
Photo of a small piece of white paper on which blue and red yard is glued in an approximation of the flag of the United States of America. There is a square of pinched-together blue yard in the top left corner, and three lines of red yarn with spaces in between them so that the white of the paper can be seen. This makeshift flag sits on top of a piece of dull-brown wood. “‘The truth, my friends, is that America is exceptional because here, nothing is fixed into place. The frontier may be closed, we may have walked on the moon, but the work of fulfilling the values first enshrined in the Declaration of Independence–that work endures, my friends, and it belongs to us all.’”--Zohran Mamdani.
July 5, 2026 at 2:56 AM
jessebaggs.bsky.social
“codename miki” with S Baggs. Alcohol marker on paper; 8.5” x 11”.
Alcohol marker on paper; 8.5” x 11”. Alcohol marker drawing of the vocaloid SF-A2 codename miki but colored off-canon: her hair is blonde and she wears a light-blue puffer jacket over a red and gold jumpsuit. She stands in front of a purple sky dotted with stars.
June 29, 2026 at 9:07 PM
jessebaggs.bsky.social
Second Saturday in Natomas was a lot of fun–thanks to everyone who came out and said hello or checked out our work!
Photo by Felicia Borges of the artist Jesse Baggs, a middle-aged white man with short, graying black hair, glasses, and a blue-and-white aloha shirt. Baggs stands in front of two of his art pieces: “Luminescence,” which depicts a young blonde woman sitting in front of a lake and hugging a large, blue-eyed husky; and “I Am the Night-Night,” which depicts a silly looking Batman grinning at the viewer.
June 21, 2026 at 12:49 AM
jessebaggs.bsky.social
One last reminder: this weekend from 6-8 I will be participating in the Second Saturday in Natomas show at Golden Bay Mortgage Group! There will be live drawings by the amazing portrait artist Raul Lacanilao, along with prints and stickers for sale by artists like yours truly–hope to see you there!
Art show flyer with a white background, text at the top and bottom, and photos in the middle. The first line on top, written in all caps and a black, 80s-style label-maker font, says, “SECONDSATURDAYINNATOMAS.COM.” The next two lines are also written in all caps but use a boxy white font outlined with a thin black stroke. They read, “SECOND SATURDAY IN NATOMAS.” Between the second and third line is written, as if by hand using a thick, gold, glitter gel pen, “6/13 6-8PM.” Beneath all of that is a grid of photos depicting various artists in black and white alongside examples of their work in color. Text in a normal font at the bottom of the flyer reads, “Golden Bay Mortgage Group / gbmortgagegroup.com / 3900 Lennane Dr. #200 - Sac, CA 95834.” To the left of this text is a circle outlined in thin gold. Within the circle is the logo for the Golden Bay Mortgage Group, which depicts a “G” and “B” sitting next to each other in separate gold boxes, below which are the words “Mortgage / Group.”
June 12, 2026 at 4:40 AM