BEHIND THE COLLECTION: MEET JEFF WEINS

Jeff Weins is a multidisciplinary artist. Self-taught — his mostly abstract paintings earned him a spot in esteemed private collections early on. While grappling with the creative challenges of artistic apathy, It was during this time Weins embarked on the pursuit of representational truth. Each project he undertakes starts with an embroidered narrative woven into visual experiments that resonate on a profoundly personal plane.

Born in 1988 in Long Beach, California, Weins was introduced to painting by his grandmother, a painter and craft enthusiast. As he grew older, he explored various art movements of the 20th century while studying in Santa Barbara. His artistic expression extended beyond traditional canvases, leading him to paint on discarded domestic objects like furniture, shipping boxes, and empty water bottles. Weins' art is characterized by dynamic brushwork, using vibrant colors with intricate details to capture the essence of his subjects before it fades away. He defies conventional painting genres, creating complete narratives that reflect the depth and breadth of his subject matter.

Guided by an intuitive fusion of unconventional palettes and vivid motifs, his creations celebrate life's anomalies and the unrecognized. Immersed in the cadence of modern existence, he unravels the tapestry of human intricacies and existential profundities, resounding tableaus that magnify oddities and non-conformities.

What inspired this collection?

The paintings featured in the collection were very much inspired by the city of Los Angeles, the landscapes, things I was surrounded by at the time. Since moving to New York, the process has been different; subsequently, so is the work. While moving studios across the country, A conversation for a capsule collection alongside With Jéan developed. While working with the creative team on their first gender-neutral collection, it was critical that we created pieces that were existing staples in my wardrobe that had conventionally gone “missing.” Using only fragments of my oeuvre, I felt this would be an appropriate time to seek other mediums I feel equally passionate about. So, I pronounced my first screenplay, Which gave me additional moments to work creatively and collectively on a collaborative project for this collection. As a body, this was inspired by various aspects of my life. It is merely With Weins.

How did this creative process differ from your regular process?

Generally, I’ve struggled with timelines in the past. Naturally, some works take longer to resolve than others. As of late, I’ve allowed the work to come together without time pressures. Allowing ‘breaks’ or ‘interventions’ within the creative process has allowed me to delve back and forth, pursuing elements

worth pursuing. So having timelines and deadlines is something I am still adapting to. Perfectionism is something I think most creatives deal with. For me, every body of work starts with an idea, and somewhere along the way of bringing that idea to life, the work takes twists and turns, and you have to sacrifice some things to make an image or an idea work.

How I’ve worked within that process can be quite isolating at times; painting is such an intimate thing, you know? The process through this collaboration has allowed me to work collectively, contrasting with how I have traditionally worked. Seeing something I hold dear come together with a pool of eclectic individuals, with whom I credit and profoundly praise, has been inspiriting and reviving.