About 

Jess is an artist and teacher living in Ironville, PA. She grew up in a busy, family-based Decorative Art studio, completed her BFA in 2018, and has taught seminars domestically and internationally since 2013. She feels that studying a variety of techniques is vital for building a powerful brush and understanding the use of color. 

While her family's studio ensured access to paint and materials, it also instilled the necessity to be creative on a deadline.  The early influence of production mentality led to Jess's work with multiples and impacted her sense of individuality. 

Jess's intensive research of Norwegian Rosemaling has strongly influenced her design style and personal aesthetic. In her recent works, she examines the role of the acanthus plant in classical design and its potential for abstraction in contemporary variations.

With a family history of paint manufacturing, Jessica recognizes the importance of understanding artist materials for successful techniques and the longevity of artwork. She embraces the entire cycle of art making- from building the surface to knowing the materials to finalizing a painting.

Representation

Sidney Fine Art Center, Sidney, Nebraska

Education

2018     B.F.A.   Studio Arts: Painting                           Millersville University
2001     A.A.     Transfer Studies (High Honors)           College of the Redwoods

Awards

2018       Ike Haye Sculpture Award, Millersville University

2017-18  Winner's Circle Award, Millersville University

2015       Grand Prize Floral Painting, New England Traditions, Marlborough, MA

Selected Group Exhibitions

2018        Modern Art Experiment, M6: Emerging Artists, Lancaster, PA

2017-18   Sykes Gallery, Juried Student Exhibition, Millersville, PA

2017        Swift Gallery, Selections from Plein Air Painting, Millersville, PA

2016        Tamae Art Studio, The Art of Painting Exhibition, Hiroshima, Japan

2009        Renwick Gallery, Holiday Tree, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC

Solo Exhibitions

2018        Swift Gallery, Built to Break, Millersville, PA

2018        Counter Space, Sculpture Ate My Painting, Millersville, PA

Selected Seminars Taught

2016-17   Rosemaling Techniques, Serina Art Studio, Taichung, Taiwan

2016        Rosemaling Techniques, Tamae Art Studio, Hiroshima Japan

2014-16   Northwest Toleliners Conference, Seattle, WA

2014-16   Society of Decorative Painters Annual Convention

2013-16   ArtWaves Toronto, Canada

2013       Rosemaling Demonstration, Semester at Sea, Winter Classes

Bibliography

2017       George Street Carnival Magazine, Millersville, PA 2017

Current Employment

Publisher/Teacher, Jansen Art Studio, Elizabethtown, PA

Gallery Director, Sidney Fine Arts Center, Sidney, NE