Jessica Tackes is an art historian, educator, and artist. In her professional career, she is passionate about combining her love for art history and writing with her interest in community-based work. Her artistic practice primarily focuses on photo-realism as emphasized by her still-life portraits of silverware and food. Other interests include figure studies and landscapes done in charcoal, oils, and acrylics.

From the artist: “Photography plays a huge role in defining my ideas and the compositions I create. My current body of work is deeply inspired by food stylists and their ability to create simple but magical displays. There is something fascinating to me about images that simultaneously live in the world of portraiture and landscape.”

Jessica Tackes earned her B.A. in Drawing and Art History at Illinois State University and her M.A. in Art History at American University in Washington, D.C.