Jamea Richmond-Edwards’s mixed-media portraits provide haunting visual records of human degradation, strength, and beauty. Richmond-Edwards’ portraits are derived from or inspired by women in the artist’s own family; not surprisingly then, they are intimate portraits suffused with an uncommon emotional truth. Still, as Richmond-Edwards says, “My goal is not to uplift the subject, but simply to reveal a truth that exists within the reality of those I am inspired by.” It is through that frankness and realism that her subjects so arrest our attention. Further capturing our attention is Richmond-Edwards’s distinctive use of paper and fabric over ink drawings. The tension between two- and three-dimensional space creates an almost trompe l’oeil effect that is every bit as contradictory and remarkable as the women Richmond-Edwards depicts.
Richmond-Edwards earned her bachelor of arts degree in studio art from Jackson State University in Mississippi and her master of fine arts degree from Howard College in Washington, D.C. Before graduating from college, she created illustrations for the Jackson Free Press as well as for a children’s book, Grandma’s Biscuits. Her work has been exhibited at solo and group exhibitions in the United States and abroad. She has been teaching the fine arts since 2005, and is currently a high school visual and performing arts teacher.
