Jessica Kirkpatrick

Abstract painter and collagist Jessica Kirkpatrick creates works around space, technique, and the principles and conventions of womanhood from her adopted home in Edinburgh, Scotland. The artist is particularly interested in the subjectivity of experience, using painting to seduce her subconscious out into a material plane.

Jessica Kirkpatrick’s Education and Practice

Originally from California, Jessica possesses a BFA from CU Boulder and an MFA from the University of Edinburgh. The artist is currently delving into the dark depths of the human psyche – transforming pain into art by pursuing an MSc in Art Psychotherapy at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, UK. With the surrealist desire to create art that projects the deep workings of the author’s mind, Jessica paints to engage her own mental space. She begins with a digital collage process. Then, she creates watercolour studies from the collaged imagery. Lastly, she makes a series of paintings over several months, sometimes sanding down and reworking them into various incarnations.

Collections and Exhibitions

Jessica's work is in private collections across the United States, Europe and Australia. Her large painting Chora I hangs in the Anderson Museum, New Mexico. As an Abbey Award Fellow at the British School of Rome, and RAIR Grant alumna, she has developed her practice in vital art communities. Her major exhibits include The Sculptor's Model at the Roswell Museum and Art Centre, New Mexico, and Ancient Pain at Patriothall Gallery, Edinburgh.