Meet artist, Jesse Gouchey

Jesse Gouchey Profile

Meet Jesse Gouchey (he, him), Co-Founder, Artistic Director, Lead Artist and Workshop Instructor at Miska Creative Society.

Jesse Gouchey is a self-taught, award-winning Cree Métis muralist, painter, animator, filmmaker and Animation Concept Art graduate from Vancouver Film School, who now lives and works on the traditional, ancestral and unceeded Coast Salish territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam Nations, commonly known as Vancouver. 

Jesse mixes modern media with Indigenous culture. His wide range of skills includes aerosol, illustration, paintings, graphic design, bleached art apparel, photography and animation. His main focus is on large-scale spray-painted murals and commissioned paintings. Jesse is best-known for bringing wild animals and nature to life through paint. Over the past decade and beyond, Jesse has been teaching mural and painting workshops with groups of all ages with Indigenous communities across Western Canada. 

Combining mural skills and animation to make a unique style of stop motion, Jesse teamed up with Co-Director Xstine Cook to create a piece entitled, 'Spirit of the Bluebird'. This short documentary featured the story of an Aboriginal woman that faced injustice and was murdered in 1999. In 2011 and 2012, this award-winning film screened at TIFF, Imaginenative, APTN and over 100 film festivals worldwide.

Jesse’s recent work on another impressive stop motion mural animation which took him over 7 years to paint, 'Johnny Crow', again with Co-Director Xstine Cook, speaks to historical oppression and racial injustice to Indigenous peoples. In 2021 and 2022, 'Johnny Crow' was circulated at many international film festivals, and also took home several awards.

  • Jesse Gouchey - Grey Owl

    Great Grey Owl - acrylic on canvas.

  • History of Inglewood - aerosol spray paint.

  • Jesse Gouchey - Indigenous Dancer

    Dancer and the Wolf - aerosol spray paint.

  • Jesse Gouchey - Golden Eagle Painting

    Golden Eagle - aerosol spray paint.

  • Jesse Gouchey - Sea Turtle Painting

    Sea Turtle - aerosol spray paint.

  • Jesse Gouchey - Wolf Painting

    Wolf - mixed media on canvas.

  • Jesse Gouchey - Owl Mural

    Owl Mural - aerosol spray paint.

  • Jesse Gouchey - Eagle on Traincar

    Eagle on Train Car - aerosol spray paint.

  • Jesse Gouchey - Bear on Pillar

    Bear on Pillar - aerosol spray paint.

  • Jesse Gouchey - Buffalo Painting

    Buffalo on Plain - digital painting.

  • Black Wolf - acrylic and aerosol spray paint on canvas.

    Black Wolf - mixed media on canvas.

  • Turtle Island Jesse Gouchey

    Turtle Island - mixed media on canvas.

  • Owl Painting Jesse Gouchey

    Great Horn Owl - acrylic on canvas.

  • Wave Jesse Gouchey

    Wave - mixed media on canvas.

  • Buffalo in Snow Mural

    Buffalo in Snow - aerosol spray paint on wood.

  • Salmon Run Mural Jesse Gouchey

    Salmon Run Mural at Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre - aerosol spray paint on concrete.

  • Salmon Run Mural Jesse Gouchey 2

    Salmon Run Mural at Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre - aerosol spray paint on concrete.

  • Salmon Run Mural Jesse Gouchey 3

    Salmon Run Mural at Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre - aerosol spray paint on concrete.

Jesse Gouchey Profile Artist

“I always knew I wanted to be creative, but I grew up in a place where it didn’t seem possible to seek a career in visual art. Being an artist has allowed me to tap back into my Indigenous culture, and gain a deeper understanding of who I truly am. In a lot of sense, art has kept me out of trouble, and saved my life. Through my current and past work with youth, I look to bridge the gaps that I had faced through my lived experience by guiding and supporting youth who may feel the same. I believe that my personal experience, values and professional art skills arm me to help others get past the barriers they face in discovering their true passions and pursuing their goals, all while keeping an open mind and embracing people’s differences.”
- Jesse Gouchey