Jessica Watson-Thorp, the Artist, was born in Australia in 1974 and is married with two children. An extensive traveller, she moved to Abu Dhabi in 2008 after living and working in Bahrain for five years. Jessica draws inspiration from the Gulf's diverse local cultural landscape to capture the uniqueness of her surroundings.
A passion for colour and nature was first realized on a trip to South Africa in 1992 on a Rotary Youth Exchange Program. She spent a year living with local families and discovered the vast diversity of culture and the artistic environment.
She graduated from Flinders University of South Australia in 1995 in Visual Arts and Archaeology, and in 1996 flew to the United States to work on an Archaeological survey locating and recording cave paintings and prehistoric settlements in the far north of California.
In 1997 Jessica went on to study at the University of Sydney completing her Graduate Diploma in Museum Studies followed by a PGCE Teaching Diploma at Massey University in New Zealand. From there she went on to assist the Curator of the Maori Collection at The Science Centre and Manawatu Museum.
After marrying in 2001, she moved to England with her New Zealand born husband and worked as a Special Needs Teacher in London. Here she was able to use her artistic skills to allow students access to many areas of the curriculum. She ran specialised art programs for students in her own time, and advised her colleagues on how to teach art across all levels of the school.
Art has played an important part of every aspect of Jessica's life. From a very young age her grandmother taught her to paint, and she was whisked away on art inspired holidays with the family. She has exhibited her work in both Australia and Bahrain.
Jessica's formal training as well as her passion and flair is proven in the artwork she produces. Her favourite medium is acrylic and she sources a professional range of materials from the UK. She uses strong colour, texture and semi abstract styles, which are applied by brush, palette knife and paint squeezed straight from the tube. She feels the quality of the materials reflect heavily in the finished work.
In Bahrain and beyond, Jessica's work is in high demand and she has a very devoted client base, including corporate clients such as DHL. She has one major exhibition a year in November, followed by smaller gallery/restaurant exhibitions and private viewings. She is available for private and corporate commissions and can advise on the safe export of artworks.
