ARTIST STATEMENT

Brighton-based Australian artist Jessica Sheehan creates figurative paintings, clashing traditional figurative art against pop art, graphic shapes and colour. Having worked both in environmental science and in big data projects, she is fascinated by the dichotomy of the natural world versus the mass produced and man-made. ‘We are surrounded by so many objects, produced at a scale that would never have been conceivable to the old masters. Gone are the brass pots and ceramic bowls, replaced by single use packaging that have the potential to outlive us. By juxtaposing traditional figurative painting against these ‘pop’ objects, I hope to show a more accurate window into the world as it is for us today.’

Jessica has participated in exhibitions in both Australia and the UK, with her first solo show in Brighton in 2024. She has been shortlisted for the Wales Contemporary in 2022 and longlisted for the Women in Art Prize in 2023 and 2024.

Selected Past Exhibitions and Competitions

  • Women in Art Prize 2024, pre selected

  • ‘From Florence to Pop’ Solo Show. 12 May to 7 June 2024, Yellow Book (in collaboration with Sweet Venues Brighton)

  • ‘AIR Open’(online exhibition), AIR Gallery website https://www.artsteps.com/view/64b7ce720fb6add0eb0b4c08/?currentUser

  • ‘Take Time’ Ilkley Manor House, Ilkley UK 16 September to 15 October 2023.

  • Thamesside Studios Open Exhibition, Thamesside Studio Gallery, London. June 2023.

  • Women in Art Prize 2023 (formerly Hollybush), pre selected

  • Wales Contemporary Competition 2022 shortlist, Waterfront Gallery, Milford Haven (October - November) Gallery@oxo, London 30 November to 4 December 2022.

  • Art number 23, Athens, Greece. July 24 - 30 2020

  • A Night at the Museum, Fortyone gallery, Sydney, Australia, July 2019

  • May the Fourth Be With You, Fortyone gallery, Sydney, Australia, May 2019

Media

‘HAUS-A-REST’ Zine Issue 41 - Ageing - September 2023 https://www.haus-a-rest.com/new-page-45

‘Art Talk’ Podcast Interview - 13 May 2023 Apple YouTube Spotify

Education

  • 1:1 Mentoring - Catherine Bobkowski April - November 2022

  • 6 week intensive workshop - Florence Academy of Art February - March 2022

instagram @jessicasheehan_artist

Huan returning Luthien's coat, mixed media. I'm currently working behind the scenes on a portrait commission, but carved out some time to experiment with a bit of painting/collage illustration inspired by a scene in the Silmarillion. I haven't done
'Under the same sun' as a comic, spanning 300 - 3000AD. We dig those items left behind by those in the past. We in turn will leave a (sizeable) footprint. What will future archaeologists, in this case an archaeoandroid, think of our 'finds?' -----
Part of a work in progress, inspired by classical mythology and marine conservation. Alla prima portrait component with some touch ups a few days later. I've been working on this piece on and off for about 3 months. It's pushing me A LOT technically
VANITAS - oil on stretched canvas, 2024, 19 x 12 inches. My tribute to the genre. Experimenting again with the 2D and 3D in the one composition, I wanted to reflect how we would express beauty or greatness in the current context, which to me would
SKETCHBOOKING: Thoughts on archaeology. The starting point was a photo of yours truly mid dig last weekend. What intrigues me about archaeology are the layers of stories that are there to be found, and those stories are told through the finding of
I'm more than excited to announce that 'HTTP: 404, Golden Age not found' has been longlisted for the Women In Art Prize 2024. I'm so glad this one in particular got through! Is the output of a fair bit of experimentation behind the scenes, including
NEW BEGINNINGS. I have started three new artworks in my bright new studio (these walls!) - of which one is finished (mostly), another is my most ambitious painting to date, and the third should have been done about a fortnight ago. In typical Jess