Jessica Puma

I’m Jessica Puma, a painter based in Philadelphia, PA. My work grows out of lived experience: the places I’ve walked, the people I’ve loved, and the stories that continue to form me. Painting is both a discipline and a devotional practice—each work a gesture of attention, care, and reverence. Whether I am painting flowers held in remembrance or responding to the enduring architecture of European cities, the work is guided by a belief in presence and meaning beyond what is immediately seen.

I work primarily in oil and mixed media, building thick, tactile surfaces through impasto and layered mark-making. Moving between observation and abstraction, I use color, texture, and structure to hold emotional and spiritual weight. Travel to Paris and Rome has deeply shaped my palette and sense of form; light, atmosphere, and architectural rhythm continue to inform how I think through paint. I am especially drawn to the expressive power of surface—how a single mark can carry grief, joy, or quiet devotion.

My home is both sanctuary and studio—a place of making, reflection, and remembrance. It is also where I honor family legacy and faith as living forces. Through my work, I connect with collectors who value emotional honesty, spiritual depth,...

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, Master of Fine Art

Solo Exhibitions
Near Wild Heaven, SoundPlex, NJ, 2021
Heavenly Places, Rowan College at Burlington County, NJ, 2019
You Don’t Have to Go Anywhere, PII Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, 2009
My Many Homes, PII Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, 2008
Drawing to Recall, Nelson Macker Fine Art, New York, 2005
Paintings of Paris, Afif Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, 2005
Dream Relief, Darius Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, 2005
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Selected Group Exhibitions
Art of the Flower, Philadelphia Sketch Club, 2025
Converge, Bridgette Maher Gallery, Philadelphia, 2024
Living in Color, Sitar Gallery, Washington, DC, 2024
Celebrating Art and Life, Perelman Building, University of Pennsylvania, 2024
Faculty Exhibitions: Rowan College at Burlington County (2023, 2022, 2018); Camden County College (2015, 2011)
Other notable exhibitions include: Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Pageant Gallery, Nelson Macker Fine Art, Arcadia University, F.U.E.L. Gallery, Painted Bride Gallery, Fox Gallery (University of Pennsylvania)