Working in oil, Jessica Smit Mattingly paints portraits and allegorical figure paintings of people and still life objects in slightly surreal settings that tell a story. She uses lighting, color, and symbolic imagery to tell these mysterious narratives and capture a moment and the emotion that lies behind it. The human figure is at the center of her work, often physically portraying the emotions experienced within.Jessica is interested in what lies beneath the surface, the larger stories and deeper meanings of our everyday experience. She is inspired by the beauty of nature and a desire to create visual experiences of mystery and contemplation. The visual narratives in her paintings are both personal and universal, and the viewer is invited to find his or her own meaning and stories in the symbolic imagery of her paintings.