Sharing his pieces for the first time at the recent Nature Art Showcase in Franklin, Wolfgang came home with a People’s Choice Award. The winners were selected based on ballots completed by hundreds of attendees who visited this four-season display of outdoor art and recreational scenes. The winning monochromatic piece is nearly 8 feet tall by 5 feet . wide, and a combination of airbrush and spray paint.

Wolfgang was asked to explain the meaning of why he chose the title “Transcendessence” (not a misspelling but rather a combination of the two words). He spoke of transcendentalism as well as a dream of the woman in the painting. He felt haunted by the woman until one day he had an experience in the woods where he felt the essence of the forest in connection with his passing aunt.

After breaking his back for the third time a year ago, Wolfgang said that he used art to heal, but that he actually became an artist after a traumatic brain injury 20 years ago.

“I became an artist after a head injury. When I woke up, I saw the world differently. I use art to communicate to others,” Wolfgang said.

Pictured here is the mural created by Jesse Wolfgang on a backyard shed on the west end in Warren.

Wolfgang, upon entry to the nature art show, finally felt inspired to show something after he had finished a mural of animals and kayakers. This can be seen on a backyard shed on Allegheny Street, located on the west end of Warren. The symbolism, he explained, includes memories of his father and other family members who are represented in the scene. There is even Chief Cornplanter, the American Red Fox, a frog, an owl and a river otter. Wolfgang shared how Pennsylvania’s river otters were wiped out at one point until they were reintroduced in the 1990s. He believes this is a great way to symbolize second chances.

The 2005 Warren Area High School graduate is spreading his wings and chasing his dream of being an artist. Having taught some in the past, he is open to sharing his art and his skills. Turning pain into purpose, when Wolfgang was injured a year ago, he used that healing time to read more about art history and practiced with spray paint. He enjoys repurposing items such as paneling from gutted houses, end cuts of plywood and reclaimed lumber from bookshelves that came from his mother’s bookstore in Jamestown. Wolfgang gives these items a second chance that would otherwise be garbage and says that, “This is the prettiest sort of trash.”

Agreeing that he has a story in which God is going to use for his good as well as for others, Wolfgang said that he believes God is the answer for all things. Speaking of his piece “Transcendessence,” Wolfgang said, “She has a story. There is a new chapter in my life that is beginning. This is only the tip of the iceberg. I give a small glimpse behind the curtain with her.”

After encouraging another young person at the art show on his artwork, Wolfgang could see what a difference that made for the young man. “I adore the idea of including youth art, in with others. It inspires them. It helps them sense their creative magnetism. We only grow stronger by lifting each other up. I hope one day to be a part of, or create a local group interested in doing the same.”