Mother of Exiles Collage

In 2018 Jessica Mavros graduated with a Bachelor in Fine Arts degree from California State University Channel Islands. In 2017, she won first place in a campus art contest at California State University Channel Islands for her portrait “Woman Wearing a Hijab“, which hangs on permanent display in the campus Student Union Building. Her work has been featured in the Washington Post, Voyage LA Magazine, the Ventura County Star, and Visit Oxnard Magazine. Her paintings have been shown in Washington DC, as well as galleries throughout Southern California and St. Louis Missouri, where she currently lives and works. Artist's Statement I’m originally from Sacramento, California, but moving to St. Louis, MO was a turning point for my art. It was there that I started to become more focused on the other, empathy, and the connectedness of all people. My portraits study the individual through color symbolism and focus on facial expression and body language. I work with acrylic paint using expressive brushwork and dramatic contrast to draw attention to specific areas of the face. Often my subjects are anonymous or unknown people. The colors I use highlight emotion and interact with the viewer on a subconscious or symbolic level. .