Dean Jester

To get some basics out of the way, Dean Jester is a painter who lives in Amarillo, Texas (in the square part at the very top of the state.) He taught English for 32 years, and was an Abydos Learning diamond-level trainer in writing, which was a sixteen-year commitment. Now, he has retired from teaching  and has taken up painting. He has three degrees, none of which contain the term “fine arts” in their title but includes two degrees from West Texas State (A&M) University and one from Southwestern Seminary. Dean quips that the best training he ever got in art was doodling during the countless hours of in-service he had to endure as a teacher.

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So, what happened that Dean became a teacher-turned-artist? The best way to put it succinctly is that it was a time of transformation and reinvention in life, and art became his coping mechanism to face those many changes. The period of life when he became an artist was also the time he deconstructed and reconstructed his faith - a key fact to know to understand much of his art. Growing up in a very conservative part of the country in the middle of the Bible Belt, he believed his best hope for survival was to try to meet the expectations of my culture. One big problem, though: he was gay, and where he lived gay was not ok. In fact, being gay was on a par with rapists and murderers - mentally deranged, probably criminal, outcasts from society. 

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Resolving the conflict between faith and sexual orientation was personally transformative to Dean, and it also transformed his world view as well. Many people question why it is necessary to talk about being gay, and what that would have to do with his art. 

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First of all, his struggle helped him become more compassionate toward others in their struggles. That is the most important motivating force for creating art. Dean puts it his way, “What I wished that I had growing up - what I needed - was a different paradigm, a different perspective. One that showed me how gays - and other members of the LGBTQ+ community - did have a choice to live authentically without being stereotypically labelled.” Dean’s main hope  is that his art helps others - those that are a part of the LGBTQ+ community, and those that have the choice of supporting them - to find a positive way forward so that everyone can live as their best, authentic self.

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