M F A: Fairfield University 2015

B A: University of New Hampshire 2013

About Jessie

Jessie Reyna is a New Hampshire native currently living outside of Charleston, South Carolina. In July of 2022, Jessie had her first exhibition called “The Susie Complex” at  Julia Deckman Studio located on James Island. The exhibition reflected on objects and memories of the women in her family through the decades, starting with her great-grandmother and her beloved stuffed rabbit named Susie. She has participated in exhibitions around Charleston with Gap Gallery at Hed Hi Studio, as well as the 20th Anniversary Art Auction at Redux Contemporary Art Center. She has been featured in Canvas Rebel, South Carolina Voyager Magazine, House & Garden UK, and Spry Lit. You can find her work at The Station Park Circle in North Charleston, The Paper Canopy, Two Cumberland, Brew Hanahan and Southern Ruetz. She is also a vendor in the Charleston City Night Market, hosted on Fridays and Saturdays from 6:30-10:30pm. Sign up for her newsletter to find out which dates each month you can find her in the market.

She is currently a studio artist at Public Works Art Center in Downtown Summerville, SC.

Artist Statement

My full-time job as an educator is what inspires my subjects and paint palettes throughout my work. Working with young children has helped me tap into myself and look at our world differently. A lot of my creative process consists of asking myself, “What would my students paint, and what colors would they choose?” By removing myself from reality, I’m able to identify objects that most children would find precious to them, and make it imaginative. I have found myself applying this same technique to paintings depicting everyday life as an adult in hopes to brighten the mundane and repetitive motions we often face.