Based in Brooklyn, New York and Portland, Maine: Jesse Wendelken completed his BFA in cinema, photography and visual arts at Ithaca College's Park School of Communications in 2021 and is currently pursuing a Masters in photography at the Pratt Institute. A liberal arts background in both filmmaking and art history produced a  style that infuses pictorial lighting and digital tableau techniques with psychology and traditional art aesthetics. His photography combines these elements in surreal, theatrical scenes with recurring themes on obsession,  melancholy and disquietness. A longtime interest with multiple self-portraiture was celebrated by the first prize win in the National Society for Photographic Education’s Self-Portraiture competition. Jesse also earned a spot on Stillwater’s Portfolio Review in 2019.