Jessica Collins

Jessica Collins is a native Virginian who has lived in and around the Chattanooga and Cleveland, Tennessee areas for over 20 years. She graduated high school from Baylor as a boarding student in 1999, then went on to attend college, receiving her BA in English and Art from Appalachian State University. She then studied education at ETSU, receiving a Master of Arts in Teaching. Her passion for art then led her to Academy of Art University, where she received an MFA in figurative painting.

Jessica started off her art career as a portrait artist, mostly painting self-portraits in oil, as well as pastels. During this time, she also taught art for 12 years in both public and private schools in Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee. When her daughter was born in 2009, she put a hold on her art career and focused on raising her child. Then, in 2018, Jessica was diagnosed with an multiple sclerosis, disabling her to the point that she needed to stop teaching altogether. She was also diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019, further complicating things in regards to her ability to create art.

Despite these health challenges, Jessica began learning how to create fluid art, since her illness made it difficult to hold a paint brush. By using a m...

BA English, Art - Appalachian State University, 2002
MAT Elementary Education - East Tennessee State University, 2005
MFA Figurative Painting - Academy of Art University, 2008

"Rhyme Without Reason" - Hetzel Gallery, Cleveland, TN - July-August, 2025

"A Folk Perspective" - The 109 Gallery, Chickamauga, GA - August-September, 2025

"The Art That Gets Us Through" - Clearstory Arts, Chattanooga, TN - October 2025

"Nature & Nurture" - BeCaffeinated, Chattanooga, TN - October 2025-January 2026

Association of Visual Arts Salon Show - AVArts, Chattanooga, TN - November-December, 2025

"Love Blooms" - Hetzel Gallery, Cleveland, TN - December 2025-January 2026

"Metamorphosis" - The Curated Gallery, Huntsville, AL - March 2026