Knoxville artist uses glitter to express love for nature

[title_box title=”Knoxville artist uses glitter to express love for nature”]

“I love glitter and mica flakes,” said artist Jessica Payne.  “I love things that sparkle.  My inner five-year-old is always ready to play with glitter! Because of the use of glitter and mica, my paintings change when the light source changes.  There are many times when I walk by a painting and it sparkles so much that it looks like it is plugged into electricity.”

Payne, a relatively new artist in the Knoxville scene, has recently been selected for her art to be hosted at Tomato Head for the fourth time. Her work will be displayed there until Oct. 5. Her art is known for its many bright colors, images of nature, along with splashes of glitter.

“I live on two and a half acres in South Knoxville and I’m surrounded by a lush, green forest,” Payne said. “I get a lot of inspiration from nature/my yard: trees, flowers, vines, birds, gardens, butterflies and color.”

After graduating from UT in 1997 with a major in Social work and a minor in Women’s Studies, Payne intended to take a job in the law field at 25. However, she turned the job down when she realized she thrived on creating things. Instead, she took a job with AmeriCorps to help establish Beardsley Community Farm.

From there, Payne used art as her hobby and as a way to express her love for nature. She has had paintings displayed in Knoxville’s Arts in the Airport Exhibit at McGhee Tyson and she has an upcoming exhibit at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Church.

Payne expressed that she is grateful to her viewers and only wants to make enough money to buy new colors and canvases to create more artwork.

To check out her artwork, visit her website by clicking here or visit her art at Tomato Head until Oct. 5.

Edited by Jessica Carr

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