Jessica Bryant

Biography

Passionate about nature and wilderness, Jessica is frequently found in the less traveled areas of our
National Parks, the forests of North Idaho, and other wilderness areas. Her work is driven by her
attraction to the natural world and the ways that land anchors human culture, defining our history and
experiences. Jessica’s background in the field of American Studies serves her art career, providing the
foundation for her interest in understanding landscape and our outdoor heritage.

An early love of landscape was initiated by the sights and sounds of the open field below Jessica’s
window in childhood, and cultivated by time spent exploring family farmlands in Minnesota and Iowa. As
a child, she loved watching storms roll across the plains, listening to meadowlarks, smelling manure, and
laying in the grass at night while the northern lights and milky way lit the sky. Road trips sparked a desire
to discover what lay beyond the hills out the car window – to start walking and just keep going and going.
During college, Jessica traveled to Estes Park, CO with her bagpipe band for a competition. Some band
mates offered to take her to drive Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park for the day, an
incredible, high elevation road that traces the ridge line across from the continental divide. At the time,
she had never been to a national park and had no idea what to expect, but she went along. Thus began a
life long love of national parks and an inclination to say yes to new experiences.

Jessica has served eight terms as an Artist in Residence for the National Park Service. First was Badlands,
an experience that initiated three subsequent invitations from the park to return and work on collaborative
projects, in addition to assisting with the bison roundup and other wildlife projects. Rocky Mountain was
next. Having been her introduction to the park service, Jessica was keen to explore the park deeply.
Joshua Tree came by invitation. Park rangers knew her work at Badlands and wanted help restructuring
their program to include an educational component. Jessica has also served the Western Arctic National
Parklands, a grouping of three National Park Service units located north of the Arctic Circle, not
frequented by visitors, where she journeyed into the back country by float and bush planes to explore on
foot. She has also visited the Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness Area in southwest Idaho as Artist in
Residence for the Bureau of Land Management and she served as the 2018 Artist in Residence for the
Idaho Conservation League. These experiences have heavily influenced Jessica’s inspirations and
motivations in her painting career.

A dedication to conservation and wilderness anchors Jessica’s life and work. She is a board member for
two non-profit organizations responsible for protecting the Lake Coeur d’Alene watershed and Tubbs Hill,
a 165-acre natural park nestled along Lake Coeur d’Alene, in Idaho. These are her favorite painting
locations close to home, and include some truly remarkable landscapes.

Professional accomplishments include achieving signature membership with the American Watercolor
Society, one of the oldest and most prestigious arts organizations in the United States, as well as the
National Watercolor Society, Northwest Watercolor Society, and Idaho Watercolor Society. Jessica
regularly shows her work in notable national and international juried exhibitions. Her work has been
published in a wide variety of magazines, newspapers, and books, including a cover and feature article in
Watercolor Artist and an upcoming feature article in Plein Air Magazine. Jessica is represented by Coeur
d’Alene Galleries.

Signature Memberships
American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, Northwest Watercolor Society, Idaho Watercolor Society
Select Exhibitions and Awards, American Watercolor Society

Annual International Exhibition – New York, NY, 2021, 2020, 2013
American Watercolor Society Traveling Exhibition – Nationwide, May 2021 – March 2022
National Watercolor Society – San Pedro, CA, September – November, 2022
Transparent Watercolor Society of America – 46th Annual Exhibition, Kenosha, WI, May-August 2022
Allied Artists of America – Annual Exhibition – New York, NY, September 2022, 2021
The Richeson75 International – Landscape, Seascape, and Architecture Annual Exhibition, 2022, 2021
Western Federation of Watercolor Societies – 47th Annual Exhibition, Albuquerque, NM, May-June 2022
Watercolor USA – 61st Annual Exhibition, Springfield, MO, June – August 2022
Northwest Watercolor Society Annual International Open Exhibit, 2020, 2018, 2017
Idaho Watercolor Society – Juried Exhibition, Juror’s Award – Boise State University, 2022, 2021
Global Association of Watercolor Artists Annual International Contest, Juror’s Merit Award, July 2019
C.M. Russel Museum – Charlie’s Miniature Roundup, Great Falls, MT, March 2022
March in Montana Western Art Auction and Dealer Show, Great Falls, MT, March 2022, 2021
Plein Air Magazine Art Competition, Best Watercolor and Gouache, March 2022
Southwest Art Magazine Annual Competition, Finalist, 2021, 2020
Miniatures by the Lake Exhibition – Coeur d’Alene Galleries, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018
The Art Spirit Gallery, Annual Small Works Invitational Exhibit, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017
Art on the Green Juried Show – Coeur d’Alene, ID, numerous awards, August, 2008 – 2022
Featured Artist – Coeur d’Alene Galleries, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, May 2022
Featured Artist – The Art Spirit Gallery, Coeur d’Alene, ID, February 2021, February 2020
Solo Exhibition – Barrister Winery, Spokane, Washington, March 2019
Solo Exhibition – Idaho Conservation League Artist in Residence, Sandpoint, ID, December 2018
Mayor’s Awards in the Arts, Arts in Education Award, Coeur d’Alene, ID, October 2018