Jessica Mickey is a local Arlingtonian, who has found inspiration and love in oil paints over the past several years. Jessica minored in Visual Arts in college, but her focus then was photography. Today, Jessica uses a paintbrush instead, to focus on light and vibrancy, attempting to draw viewers in with color and composition, often making you feel a part of the painting. Her style would most likely be called photorealism, but with a flare of effervescence that captivates a moment in time more than a photograph ever could. In fact, Jessica’s work has unique undertones of hyper-realism, bringing the viewer’s eye directly where she wants you to focus, sometimes even making you question whether it’s a painting or a photo. Jessica has done many commissions, most often portraits of people and pets, but her favorite compositions are still landscapes.

Since joining the Alliance in 2013, she has shown her work at the Arlington Free Clinic, Luna Grill, Cosi in Courthouse, Arlington Co. Treasurer’s Office, Cassatt’s, SAIC/Leidos, Toby’s Ice Cream, Hand-N-Hand Therapy, the Holiday Inn in Ballston (which she also helps co-curate), and Gallery Underground. Jessica has also happily been the Co-Director of Gallery Underground for more than 2 years now.