Jess Kellner (b. 1994) is an American painter whose work examines vulnerability, emotional presence, and the tension between surrender and control. Drawing from his background in acting and film, Kellner's practice translates the language of performance into painterly form-each composition unfolding like a still from a larger narrative. His figures often exist in suspended states, caught between motion and stillness, where intimacy and uncertainty converge.
Working through soft gradients, diffused light, and gestural restraint, Kellner creates scenes that feel both cinematic and deeply personal. His paintings invite viewers to pause-to feel rather than to interpret-offering moments of quiet reflection within an increasingly distracted world. Through this meditative approach, he investigates the ways emotion, instinct, and memory shape our understanding of self and others.