About the artist
JESSICA LEVANT is a native San Franciscan who spent 30 years living in New York and London. When she returned to the Bay Area near the end of the 90s, she re-designed her career and the rest of her life. As an artist, she is mainly self-taught but has learned from every artist and every piece of art she has ever admired, not to mention innumerable online workshops, video tutorials and constant experimentation.
For a dozen years her Photo Art was defined by ‘unexpected views of the ordinary and ordinary views of the unexpected’. She is drawn to shapes, juxtapositions, shadows and white space – and loves visual irony and urban street art. She has an eye for and a penchant for the quirky.
During the 2020 lockdown regimen, there was suddenly an opportunity to explore a new direction. In the first 5 months Jessica created over three dozen mixed media collages, still focusing on shapes and textures but also often incorporating the ironic or quirky. By 2021 she dove deep into abstract painting, much of the time under the exquisite tutelage of Louise Fletcher. Please see the MIXED MEDIA link on this site to explore what ‘Lockdown’ spawned! She continues to experiment and grow and is having soooo much fun!
Sometimes combining her art with her passion for live jazz., Jessica has documented Bay Area jazz musicians in two photo books, is occasionally called upon to photograph bands or individuals, and more recently has created a body of ‘Music Photo Art’ including the ‘Sounds of Jazz” series and her “Chameleon Jazz Project” which has been displayed in several Bay Area jazz venues. (See MUSIC ART)
WHERE TO SEE THE WORK: Her photo art has been regularly accepted in the monthly juried shows at the historic San Francisco Women Artists Gallery . Over the years her work has also been shown at various other Bay Area galleries and and some national shows The first public showing of her mixed media pieces was at the iconic North Beach gallery, Live Worms in September 2020, and has since been in other shows there as well as other local art spaces. Current shows will be announced in social media and in her monthly Art News.
For a dozen years her Photo Art was defined by ‘unexpected views of the ordinary and ordinary views of the unexpected’. She is drawn to shapes, juxtapositions, shadows and white space – and loves visual irony and urban street art. She has an eye for and a penchant for the quirky.
During the 2020 lockdown regimen, there was suddenly an opportunity to explore a new direction. In the first 5 months Jessica created over three dozen mixed media collages, still focusing on shapes and textures but also often incorporating the ironic or quirky. By 2021 she dove deep into abstract painting, much of the time under the exquisite tutelage of Louise Fletcher. Please see the MIXED MEDIA link on this site to explore what ‘Lockdown’ spawned! She continues to experiment and grow and is having soooo much fun!
Sometimes combining her art with her passion for live jazz., Jessica has documented Bay Area jazz musicians in two photo books, is occasionally called upon to photograph bands or individuals, and more recently has created a body of ‘Music Photo Art’ including the ‘Sounds of Jazz” series and her “Chameleon Jazz Project” which has been displayed in several Bay Area jazz venues. (See MUSIC ART)
WHERE TO SEE THE WORK: Her photo art has been regularly accepted in the monthly juried shows at the historic San Francisco Women Artists Gallery . Over the years her work has also been shown at various other Bay Area galleries and and some national shows The first public showing of her mixed media pieces was at the iconic North Beach gallery, Live Worms in September 2020, and has since been in other shows there as well as other local art spaces. Current shows will be announced in social media and in her monthly Art News.
Recent Shows and Recognition
2023
Juried Exhibitions:
May, SFWA Gallery, San Francisco [Embracing Nature] - Havana Harbor, Red Spikes
April, SFWA Gallery, San Francisco [Color Pop!] - Calypso Fiesta, Woman - Then Now and Then
March, SFWA Gallery, San Francisco [Patterns, Shapes & Materials] - Welcoming the Day
February, Live Worms Gallery, San Francisco [Women Artists Show] - Red Leaf, Fair Winds
January, SFWA Gallery, San Francisco [Photographer's Eye] - Tropic Noir, Reflections of Peace and Food
2022
November: Open Studio
Group Exhibitions:
Summer 2022: Far Out Gallery, San Francisco [Flowers Exhibition] - Profusion (sold).
March 17 - April 5: Ingleside Gallery, San Francisco - 2 photographs & 1 painting - Señora Habana, LaPaz Pigeons (sold), Here I Come (subsequently sold).
Juried Exhibitions:
November: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco Panama Textures #4
September: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco Women of the Autumn
August: Live Worms Gallery , San Francisco TEXTural Show: And Why, The Beat Goes On
July: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco [Patterns, Textures, Materials Exhibition] - Crosswalk, Lost Honey
May: SFWA Gallery [Intense Palette Exhibition] - Midnight Plum
March / April: 780 Valencia, San Francisco [Women Rising Exhibition] - 4 abstract paintings (two sold).
March: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco – That’s How the Light Gets In
February: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco – Two Photo Pieces: Red Leaf and Rabbit
2021
Group Exhibitions:
December 3 – January 9: Live Worms Gallery, San Francisco –3 pieces in this show
December 17-19: Ingleside Gallery Weekend Small Art Show, San Francisco – Six 10x10x1.5″ collages on wood panels. 5 – 7pm Friday, 12 – 6 Sat & Sun, 1507 Ocean Ave, San Francisco.
December 3- 5: Ingleside Gallery Weekend Holiday Show, San Francisco – 3 photographs in this show.
November 26 – 28: Ingleside Gallery Popup Photography Show, San Francisco – 4 photographs in this show
August 27 – September 12: Live Worms Gallery, San Francisco – 1 painting: Red Sprites (sold).
January 29 – February 21: Live Worms Gallery, San Francisco – 6 mixed media collages.
Juried Exhibitions:
December 7 – January 7: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco: 1 painting in this show. (Flight of the Bumblebee)
August 31 – September 24: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco: 1 painting in this show. (Joy Ride)
July 26 – August 31: A Study in Contrast, a virtual Art Exhibit from the City of South San Francisco, is displaying one of my Moroccan photos, Modern Times in Morocco, highlighting generational dress and activity differences of two women at a bus stop.
June 1 – 16: Landscape Exhibition at Contemporary Art Gallery Online Two awards: This Land received Second Place in the Mixed Media Category (since sold), and A Day at the Farm was named an ‘additional winner’ in the Painting category.
June 1 – 25: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco: Essaouira
May 1 – 28: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco: Dreams of Spring #1 & #2 offered as Diptych.
April 16 May 16: Live Worms Gallery, San Francisco: Keeping Up
April 4 – 28: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco: This Land and I Heart Paris
March 9 – April 2: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco: Quilt Series: Yellow
February 9 – March 5: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco: Checkers Game in Trinidad (Cuba)
February 1 – 28: Life Space Time Online Gallery: Special Recognition Award for Shapeshifting on Third Street
February 1 – 28: Black Box Gallery, Portland, OR [“Black & White 2021” juried exhibit] Those Were The Days
Solo Exhibitions:
Dec 7 – Feb 4, 2022: SFWA Gallery: Artist Salon: 3 new paintings and 15 ‘Intersection’ Collages from 2020.
May 4 – June 25: SFWA Gallery: Artist Salon: 14 of my most recent mixed media pieces.
A full list can be found here
Juried Exhibitions:
May, SFWA Gallery, San Francisco [Embracing Nature] - Havana Harbor, Red Spikes
April, SFWA Gallery, San Francisco [Color Pop!] - Calypso Fiesta, Woman - Then Now and Then
March, SFWA Gallery, San Francisco [Patterns, Shapes & Materials] - Welcoming the Day
February, Live Worms Gallery, San Francisco [Women Artists Show] - Red Leaf, Fair Winds
January, SFWA Gallery, San Francisco [Photographer's Eye] - Tropic Noir, Reflections of Peace and Food
2022
November: Open Studio
Group Exhibitions:
Summer 2022: Far Out Gallery, San Francisco [Flowers Exhibition] - Profusion (sold).
March 17 - April 5: Ingleside Gallery, San Francisco - 2 photographs & 1 painting - Señora Habana, LaPaz Pigeons (sold), Here I Come (subsequently sold).
Juried Exhibitions:
November: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco Panama Textures #4
September: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco Women of the Autumn
August: Live Worms Gallery , San Francisco TEXTural Show: And Why, The Beat Goes On
July: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco [Patterns, Textures, Materials Exhibition] - Crosswalk, Lost Honey
May: SFWA Gallery [Intense Palette Exhibition] - Midnight Plum
March / April: 780 Valencia, San Francisco [Women Rising Exhibition] - 4 abstract paintings (two sold).
March: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco – That’s How the Light Gets In
February: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco – Two Photo Pieces: Red Leaf and Rabbit
2021
Group Exhibitions:
December 3 – January 9: Live Worms Gallery, San Francisco –3 pieces in this show
December 17-19: Ingleside Gallery Weekend Small Art Show, San Francisco – Six 10x10x1.5″ collages on wood panels. 5 – 7pm Friday, 12 – 6 Sat & Sun, 1507 Ocean Ave, San Francisco.
December 3- 5: Ingleside Gallery Weekend Holiday Show, San Francisco – 3 photographs in this show.
November 26 – 28: Ingleside Gallery Popup Photography Show, San Francisco – 4 photographs in this show
August 27 – September 12: Live Worms Gallery, San Francisco – 1 painting: Red Sprites (sold).
January 29 – February 21: Live Worms Gallery, San Francisco – 6 mixed media collages.
Juried Exhibitions:
December 7 – January 7: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco: 1 painting in this show. (Flight of the Bumblebee)
August 31 – September 24: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco: 1 painting in this show. (Joy Ride)
July 26 – August 31: A Study in Contrast, a virtual Art Exhibit from the City of South San Francisco, is displaying one of my Moroccan photos, Modern Times in Morocco, highlighting generational dress and activity differences of two women at a bus stop.
June 1 – 16: Landscape Exhibition at Contemporary Art Gallery Online Two awards: This Land received Second Place in the Mixed Media Category (since sold), and A Day at the Farm was named an ‘additional winner’ in the Painting category.
June 1 – 25: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco: Essaouira
May 1 – 28: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco: Dreams of Spring #1 & #2 offered as Diptych.
April 16 May 16: Live Worms Gallery, San Francisco: Keeping Up
April 4 – 28: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco: This Land and I Heart Paris
March 9 – April 2: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco: Quilt Series: Yellow
February 9 – March 5: SFWA Gallery, San Francisco: Checkers Game in Trinidad (Cuba)
February 1 – 28: Life Space Time Online Gallery: Special Recognition Award for Shapeshifting on Third Street
February 1 – 28: Black Box Gallery, Portland, OR [“Black & White 2021” juried exhibit] Those Were The Days
Solo Exhibitions:
Dec 7 – Feb 4, 2022: SFWA Gallery: Artist Salon: 3 new paintings and 15 ‘Intersection’ Collages from 2020.
May 4 – June 25: SFWA Gallery: Artist Salon: 14 of my most recent mixed media pieces.
A full list can be found here