ABOUT JESS
Hi, I’m Jess Taylor—the artist behind Hold That Punch, a female-owned art and design studio based in Portland, Oregon.
Hold That Punch was born out of a return to my roots. After a decade-long detour into the tech world, I came back to my lifelong passion for art in 2022, launching the studio to share a vibrant, collage-driven body of work. My pieces blend analog and digital techniques, creating bold, colorful compositions that explore themes of beauty, value, and excess.
From gemstone collages crafted with vintage materials to playful, pop-art-inspired prints, every piece is designed in my Portland studio and brought to life with meticulous care. I work closely with fine art printers to ensure that each print captures the richness and energy of the originals.
At its heart, Hold That Punch is about connection—between the work, the viewer, and the stories we carry. I often collaborate with collectors to personalize designs, making each piece a part of someone’s unique space and story.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I make art to explore what we value, why we’re drawn to it, and how beauty, excess, and personal symbolism shape the world around us.
My work is fueled by a love of color, clutter, pop culture, and the kind of quiet magic found in everyday objects—disco balls, gemstones, advertising scraps, tarot cards.
Whether I’m layering collage by hand or illustrating with a Sharpie and a spark of intuition, I’m interested in how image and meaning get tangled up—how something can be playful and pointed, spiritual and sparkly, all at once.
Collage, in particular, feels like an ideal way to make sense of the world: literally taking pieces of it—fragments of culture, beauty, aspiration—and reassembling them into something that asks new questions. It’s not just about how a piece is made, but why it’s made, and what the new whole is trying to say.
My studio practice sits at the intersection of maximalism, mythology, and personal ritual. It’s loud, layered, feminine, and driven by a need to both express and understand. I want my work to feel like an altar, a celebration, and a wink—all at the same time.
