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Jessica Rhys
Jessica Rhys is an illustrator who has studied painting at the masters level. She is also a forest preschool teacher and lives and works in Portland, OR and on the coast of Maine. She studied ecology and natural history as an undergraduate and has worked for many years as an educator. She is an avid gardener and birdwatcher. Jessica is deeply appreciative of all the animal presences in her life.
For availability of work and upcoming shows please follow Jessica on Facebook and Instagram. You can also see her studio and purchase her work annually at the Mt Tabor Artwalk in Portland, OR.
For availability of work and upcoming shows please follow Jessica on Facebook and Instagram. You can also see her studio and purchase her work annually at the Mt Tabor Artwalk in Portland, OR.
Exhibitions
2019
Mt Tabor Artwalk Open Studios May 2019, Portland, OR
Member Artistic Portland Gallery Jan-Sept 2019, Portland, OR
Winter Solstice Open Studios, December 2019, Portland, OR
2018
Mt Tabor Artwalk Open Studios May 2018, Portland, OR
Member Artistic Portland Gallery Sept-Dec 2018, Portland, OR
2014
I Am Coyote Touring Exhibit Winter 2014, Portland, ME
2013
I Am Coyote Touring Exhibit Fall 2013, Belfast, ME
2012
Topanga Canyon Gallery Spring Show June 2012, Los Angeles, CA
2011
Topanga Canyon Gallery Spring Show June 2011 Los Angeles, CA
2019
Mt Tabor Artwalk Open Studios May 2019, Portland, OR
Member Artistic Portland Gallery Jan-Sept 2019, Portland, OR
Winter Solstice Open Studios, December 2019, Portland, OR
2018
Mt Tabor Artwalk Open Studios May 2018, Portland, OR
Member Artistic Portland Gallery Sept-Dec 2018, Portland, OR
2014
I Am Coyote Touring Exhibit Winter 2014, Portland, ME
2013
I Am Coyote Touring Exhibit Fall 2013, Belfast, ME
2012
Topanga Canyon Gallery Spring Show June 2012, Los Angeles, CA
2011
Topanga Canyon Gallery Spring Show June 2011 Los Angeles, CA
Artist Statement:
My strongest spiritual connections in life have been found while spending time in nature and in contemplating the beautiful interconnections of all beings through the study of ecology, biology, botany and natural history. I have always been artistically inclined and painted and drew for my own pleasure. While traveling in Eastern Europe in 2000 I found myself deeply aesthetically drawn to Eastern Orthodox iconography. Then while traveling in Mexico in 2005 and again studying iconography I felt called to begin painting a series of icons reflecting my own spiritual experience, and I began to take painting seriously. The theme of the sacred in nature still drives most of my work in 2019. My art is all created as a prayer, a devotion, a giving of gratitude, and ideally an inspiration for humanity to honor our interdependent relationships with the other beings of this world. Most of my paintings are inspired by dreams or real life encounters that I have with animals, and I also draw upon archetypal knowledge of animals spirits from Native American and international shamanic teachings. When describing my work to people I usually say that it looks like a cross between an ecology textbook and a religious icon. I work in watercolor, and in oil on raw panel or found wood.
My strongest spiritual connections in life have been found while spending time in nature and in contemplating the beautiful interconnections of all beings through the study of ecology, biology, botany and natural history. I have always been artistically inclined and painted and drew for my own pleasure. While traveling in Eastern Europe in 2000 I found myself deeply aesthetically drawn to Eastern Orthodox iconography. Then while traveling in Mexico in 2005 and again studying iconography I felt called to begin painting a series of icons reflecting my own spiritual experience, and I began to take painting seriously. The theme of the sacred in nature still drives most of my work in 2019. My art is all created as a prayer, a devotion, a giving of gratitude, and ideally an inspiration for humanity to honor our interdependent relationships with the other beings of this world. Most of my paintings are inspired by dreams or real life encounters that I have with animals, and I also draw upon archetypal knowledge of animals spirits from Native American and international shamanic teachings. When describing my work to people I usually say that it looks like a cross between an ecology textbook and a religious icon. I work in watercolor, and in oil on raw panel or found wood.