* All images used with permission. Please do not distribute without first contacting the artist.
Jessica Rebik is a figurative photo-realist painter who works and lives in Galena, IL. She received her MFA from Florida Atlantic University in 2007, and currently teaches as an Assistant Professor of Art at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa. Her work has been exhibited nationally, and has been awarded honors in several juried exhibits.
Jessica explains her work by saying, “My newest works attempt to expand the possibilities of my photo realistic painting. By using photographic references that have clearly been digitally manipulated, I am unapologetically acknowledging the role of the photograph in my painting process. This makes the viewer aware of the separation between themselves and the original figurative subject.”
She continues, “In addition, I am experimenting with the level of refinement and lack there of. The highly detailed facial features of the subject make it relatable and elicit a sense of empathy. However, by allowing evidence of the painting process to remain within the finished painting, I am informing the viewer of yet another level of separation from the subject. They are not looking at a representation of a person, but a painting of a manipulated photograph of a person. The objective of this body of work is to simultaneously create both connection and distance between the painting and the viewer.”
