Jessica Sheehan Smith was born in
March of 1986, and was raised in rural Northern Virginia. Growing up
on her parent’s horse farm in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains gave her an
appreciation for the special moments found in the quietude of nature.
She attended the University of
South Carolina for her Undergraduate studies, concentrating on Mixed Media
Painting and Printmaking. Her first full body of work, Lost in the Forest, is comprised of both paintings and prints
that draw from the visceral memories of childhood. Smith was inspired to step
back into the rural landscape after discovering the Congaree National
Forest and the power and peace found within the natural environment. Lost in the Forest includes
works from 2007 through 2008.
In the years that followed, the
artist continued to explore different means of expression through visual art.
In January of 2012 she began a Guest Residency at South Carolina State
University in Orangeburg, SC. Focusing on various Printmaking techniques,
Smith created Gyotaku prints and began a body of work in Cyanotype. Her
Cyanotype exploration has led to a larger group of images entitled, Into the Blue. These pieces were first exhibited
in "Birth of Light," the second show of the
SatRealism movement in June of 2012, held in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Following "Birth of
Light," the artist exhibited her works throughout Northern
Virginia in late 2012 and early 2013.
She was included in
the Juried Exhibition "40
Works from Artists under 40," held by the Shenandoah Vallery
Art Center in in spring of 2013. In February of 2014, the artist had two pieces selected to be included in the 2014 New Waves Juried Exhibition held at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art. These large-scale cyanotype images were awarded Second Best in Show by Juror Charles Moffet of the Sotheby's Contemporary Collections in New York. Jessica Sheehan Smith continues her work with painting and printmaking, along with her up-and-coming creative studio "openheARTspace."