Jessica Bellamy
Jessica Bellamy is an artist and educator residing in Norman, Oklahoma. As an undergraduate she studied Painting, Drawing, and Sculpture at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2004. She went on to attend Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas, receiving an MFA in 2010. Jessica worked as an Adjunct Professor at Texas Woman's University where she instructed a variety of studio courses.
Jessica's work has been featured in solo exhibits in Texas and Oklahoma and she has participated in group and juried exhibitions throughout the U.S. She has an upcoming solo exhibit at the Oklahoma Hall of Fame Gaylord Pickens Museum in May 2021. In 2015 her work was selected to be included in the permanent collection of Museum of Encaustic Art in Santa Fe, NM.
Jessica is always interested in teaching workshops and private lessons in her area and is able to instruct a wide range of processes and media. Her teaching method encourages students to develop both technical abilities and creative expression.
Q & A
Please describe how you feel about exhibiting at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum, home of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.
It is a great honor to be invited to exhibit at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum, Oklahoma Hall of Fame. My mother's family settled in Southwest Oklahoma during The Great Land Rush and I was raised on vivid, colorful stories of The Great Depression and The Dust Bowl. I feel an abiding pride in my Oklahoma heritage and the opportunity to show my paintings at the Hall of Fame honors that heritage.
It is the mission of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame to tell Oklahoma's story through its people. How does your art help tell Oklahoma's story?
My work tells Oklahoma's story through visual references to place and culture. I view my creative process as a journey to create a distinct visual language that connects me to my cultural heritage. Some painting feature shapes and patterns which are informed by various cultures. My artwork is also uniquely Oklahoman in the connection to the land, which is visible in the native botanical elements I incorporate in my imagery.