“Every appearance in nature corresponds to some state of the mind, and that state of the mind can only be described by presenting that natural appearance as its picture.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Matthew Jessie (b.1987) received an MFA in studio art from Arizona State University in 2020. Originally from the small Appalachian town of Rogersville, Tennessee, Matthew developed a particularly close relationship with the natural world and the culture and landscape of the Great Smoky Mountains at an early age. He received a BFA in Studio Art from East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee in 2015.