About the artist:
Jessica Mandala earned her B.A. in Fine Arts (Painting and Drawing) from the University of Dallas. Her works have been featured in numerous exhibitions and in private collections.
Artist’s statement:
“From the time I was a child I have been enthralled with color, fashion and making things. Clothing reflects so much about the wearer - how they see themselves and what they want to communicate to the larger world. I love the way the right outfit - or sometimes just the right lipstick - can change so much about the person wearing it.
My first love is oil painting. My earlier works focus on the human figure, gestures and facial expressions. I love to capture a moment in time - mid-laugh, mid-movement.
I was fortunate to spend a great deal of my professional life working with the American Heart Association. The red dress, a symbol to raise awareness for women and heart disease, inspired a merging of my personal and professional passions. I did a series of red dresses, some in watercolors and some in oils, and gave them as gifts to my co-workers. They were extremely well-received and many more were created and donated to raise funds for this important cause.
This led me to examine other ways that fashion inspires us. The role of beauty and glamour in our cultural history cannot be understated. A wedding gown is so unique - it is the garment chosen for the day when a woman will feel she is at her absolute best - when she will be the most beautiful woman in the room. This is perhaps the most carefully selected (and expensive) outfit a woman will ever wear. And she wears it for just a few hours.
I love exploring this choice, what it says about the wearer, and it is my great privilege to commemorate it.”
Jessica works in oils, acrylics, watercolor, charcoal and ink.