art
Jesse wearing and holding her art.
"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." -Pablo Picasso
This is what it's all about! Love of color and expression and composition has limitless possibilities. Themis and Thread designer Jesse Junko Beardslee chose to study Fashion Design as a teenager with hopes of only being a hungry artist. Anything can be art, personal style, music, food, lifestyle, lighting, event hosting, interior design, farming, architecture, service, language, dance, wine, performance, activism, you name it! After graduating from the International Academy of Design and Technology in Tampa, Florida with an Associate of Science Degree in Fashion Design and Marketing Jesse spent some very formative years in New Orleans, Louisiana. Before and after Hurricane Katrina Jesse worked service jobs, making jewelry, designing, doing alterations and painting on the side. Below are some examples of watercolor paintings from that time, prints and gifts can be purchased online at her Redbubble Shop.
This is what it's all about! Love of color and expression and composition has limitless possibilities. Themis and Thread designer Jesse Junko Beardslee chose to study Fashion Design as a teenager with hopes of only being a hungry artist. Anything can be art, personal style, music, food, lifestyle, lighting, event hosting, interior design, farming, architecture, service, language, dance, wine, performance, activism, you name it! After graduating from the International Academy of Design and Technology in Tampa, Florida with an Associate of Science Degree in Fashion Design and Marketing Jesse spent some very formative years in New Orleans, Louisiana. Before and after Hurricane Katrina Jesse worked service jobs, making jewelry, designing, doing alterations and painting on the side. Below are some examples of watercolor paintings from that time, prints and gifts can be purchased online at her Redbubble Shop.
music is lifeMusic has always played a big role in Jesse's life, beginning with her parent's love of it, listening to Pink Floyd's "The Wall" in the womb and following mom's lead, "Dance to the reggae music!" with her brother when they were toddlers. The Trumansburg, New York GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance is an annual pilgrimage, and has been for most of her life. When (and where) Jesse lived in New Orleans it seemed everyone was either a musician or an artist, but GrassRoots' culture still called. One year during the trip from Louisiana to New York Jesse met and fell in love with Brett Beardslee, a musician and poet who swept her off her feet and brought her back home to Hector, New York where they live in love together.
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Brett Beardslee performs Monday Night Blues (a name adopted from Dos Jeffe's Cigar Bar in New Orleans) at Jesse's family's winery Rasta Ranch Vineyards every Monday 5-8 April-November. You can find him performing around the wineries of The Finger Lakes, almost always with his best mechanical friend, Juicy Lucy, a 1958 Volkswagen Panel Van that's been his daily driver for decades, home for years and nights, and road trip rambler across the country many times over.
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rasta ranch vineyards
A lot of the local art around Themis and Thread's studio is farming and wine making. Jesse's mother Diane and step father Terry own and operate a small farm winery on the East side of Seneca Lake called Rasta Ranch Vineyards; Established in 1993. Each bottle of wine has a piece of Diane's original artwork or a family photograph on it. Jesse's Joy Juice even has a picture of Jesse in her handmade wedding dress. Every month Sip and Shop vendors pop up, organized by Jesse and Hector Handmade. Rock n Roll tunes to match the memorabilia subsides for live music regularly, and this Tasting Room within a 1860's barn is truly an experience! Enjoy #WineForGoodTimes, a step into the past, and some serious local flair!
hector handmade
In 2017 Jesse opened a Gift Shop and Gallery with her best friend Jennie Scarbrough selling locally made Finger Lakes art. One of both of them are almost always there during business hours, if you're lucky enough to be near the Finger Lakes swing by and say hi! There you can shop Themis and Thread fashion, Jennie's photography and paintings and much more. The Shared Studio is often where Jesse conducts fittings and consultations, and you can meet them there to make your own jewelry or keepsake at The Bead Bar!