EDUCATION /
2014 MFA, New York Academy of Art, New York City, NY
2009-2012, Art Students League of New York, New York City, NY
2006 BFA, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
2002, The South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, Greenville, SC
Born in 1984, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Artist Jessie Peterson Tarazi is new on the scene and quickly grabbing the attention of collectors. Her modern composition and scale stands in juxtaposition to a yearning nostalgia for the calm and tranquility of the Islands where she was raised. Her paintings reflect a similar ebb and flow to that of the Lowcountry tidewaters. Peterson’s paintings reflect her ability to capture that natural Southern light and weave it into her portrayals of Island life, evoking a certain romance for the South’s rich and layered history.
Her current works represent the cherished appreciation one gets for stumbling upon a wonderful discovery in an undiscovered place. Peterson’s studio practice primarily takes place in the chaotic yet energetic city of New York, in the thick of Chinatown. In contrast, her works carries the viewer to a place of quiet meditation. The viewer is allowed to reflect on the serene pace of the Islands where grew up on. Interestingly enough, the space she uses is owned by the great grandson of Richard Stonebridge, the former Lighthouse keeper of the iconic Haig Point Lighthouse on Daufuskie Island, South Carolina. Proving that the Lowcountry is never far.
“If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint.”
Jessie Peterson Tarazi has studied under world-famous artists: Jenny Saville, Vincent Desiderio, Steven Assael, and Peter Drake. Peterson was introduced to painting during her time in South Carolina’s prestigious Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities. Despite her natural abilities and talents for painting, she delved into photography, where she learnt about the importance of light and composition. When she returned to the brush in New York City, she never looked back. She received her Masters degree at the New York Academy of Art, a school that was founded by notable artists to preserve the vital classical foundations of painting in a rapidly changing environment.