A Scarborough Spotlight on Jesse Read
For this month’s Scarborough Spotlight artist feature, we’re excited to highlight the work of illustrator and Visual Designer Jesse Read.
Originally from Scarborough, Ontario, Jesse studied Fine Art and Illustration at OCAD U and Graphic Design at Humber College. With over a decade of experience across in-house, agency, and freelance roles, he has built a career in digital illustration and design while continually returning to his roots in drawing. His recent body of work blends fine art and illustration through memory, character, and mood.
Growing up around Eglinton, Kingston Road, and Morningside, Jesse became fixated on drawing at a young age. And now, he is revisiting Scarborough through a more personal lens. We connected with Jesse to talk about his work, identity as an artist and reinvention.
Ravine Dwellers by Jesse Read
Scarborough Arts: To start, can you share an overview of yourself and your artistic practice?
Jesse Read: I grew up in Scarborough, around Eglinton and Kingston and Morningside, south of Lawrence. I got into drawing really young and became pretty fixated on it. I took art classes at Cedar Ridge in the mid-1980s, where I was exposed to proper art supplies like acrylics and pastels. That whole world really hooked me.
I started copying comic books and advertisements. In high school, I went to Wexford because they had a strong art program. I went to OCAD for drawing and painting, then switched to illustration. After school, I worked at Cuppa Coffee Studios in stop-motion animation building puppets, then later went back to school to learn digital illustration and graphic design.
I’ve been in digital illustration and design for about 15 years. Recently, I’ve been rethinking my path, especially with how freelance illustration has shifted. I’m rediscovering a fine art and illustration hybrid practice, mostly using an iPad but in a way that feels more like drawing. I’m exploring what that could become.
Pale Swan by Jesse Read
Error 404, Scarborough Arts AJE Poster by Jesse Read
Scarborough Arts: Was there a specific piece or influence that initially inspired you to become an artist?
Jesse Read: Mostly comic book art and TV. Also, my brother and I knew two brothers whose father was an artist. Seeing that it was possible to be an artist made it feel normal.
Recently, a lot of my subject matter comes from my surroundings and people I knew. After living in the West End for 15 years, moving back to Scarborough brought back memories that are influencing my work now. I’ve always felt like an outsider in the art world as someone from Scarborough, and I’m interested in outsider personalities and fringe activity. Scarborough is seen as fringe in Toronto’s art world, and those characters are fringe within Scarborough. I’m drawn to that hidden world behind everyday life.
Scarborough Arts: What does it feel like emotionally to revisit these places now?
Jesse Read: It’s nostalgic, but it brings back both good and bad memories. Some are scary, some are happy. I probably look back with rose-tinted glasses. When I was younger, I wanted to be downtown, but now I’m grateful for that upbringing. Being removed from the core forces you to rely on imagination, which creates something unique.
Scarborough Arts: What inspires you to sit down and start making work? Where do ideas come from for you?
Jesse Read: It changes. Sometimes an image appears fully formed in my head, like the guy at the seedy book stand. Other times it’s memory-based, like the ravine piece, where the setting triggers memories of people and experiences.
Going to galleries also inspires me. I usually leave with ideas sparked by what I’ve seen.
Willem Defoe, Ben Johnson, and Two Women by Jesse Read
Scarborough Arts: After such a long career, what is it like to be searching for a new path now? What do you hope your art reveals now that it didn’t before?
Jesse Read: It’s a reaction to the past decade. I wasn’t very vocal about where I came from, and that took away from my inspiration. Commercial art is less personal, and I didn’t feel connected. Now I’m leaning into who I am and my past more honestly.
Lately, I’ve also been influenced by watching a lot of 1970s thrillers. Something about the pacing, lighting, and atmosphere really sticks with me. I’ve been thinking about how those films build mood through texture.
I hope it resonates with people who identify with this imagery. I rarely see my particular life represented in art or film. I want to create work that others from similar backgrounds can recognize themselves in, and for others I hope they can appreciate a view from a different perspective.
Book Stand by Jesse Read
