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.