Jessica Smit Mattingly is a Chicago-based realist oil painter. Jessica earned a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. After graduating from Northwestern, she spent several years teaching English as a Second Language in Japan. Upon returning to the United States, Jessica returned to school to pursue her passion for drawing and painting at the School of Representational Art in Chicago where she completed the 4-year program in figurative drawing and oil painting.

Jessica is inspired by the figurative paintings of the Baroque artists, and the mystery and poetic beauty of the Symbolist and Pre-Raphaelite artists of the late nineteenth century. Jessica’s work includes figurative works, portraits, still life, and creative figurative compositions. While combining classical realism skills and imagination, Jessica’s creative figurative compositions create a mood and tell a story through symbolism, expressive gesture, and rich color. Jessica taught portrait, figure, and still life drawing and painting as one of the faculty members at the School of Representational Art in Chicago.  Currently, Jessica works on commissions and exhibits her paintings in museums and galleries. Jessica also offers individual instruction and group classes at her studio in the Chicago area.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I love exploring the rich color, texture, depth, and form of oil paint.  Working in oil, I paint portraits and allegorical figure paintings of people and still life objects in slightly surreal settings that tell a story.  I use lighting, color, and symbolic imagery to tell these mysterious narratives and capture a moment and the emotion that lies behind it.  The human figure is at the center of my work, often physically portraying the emotions experienced within.

I am interested in what lies beneath the surface, the larger stories and deeper meanings of our everyday experience.  I am inspired by the beauty of nature and a desire to create visual experiences of mystery and contemplation.  The visual narratives in my paintings are both personal and universal, and I hope that each viewer finds their own meaning and stories in the symbolic imagery.

Jessica Smit Mattingly