Member Profile #8: Jessica Hoel

Name: Jessica Hoel
Website: www.theHOELstudio.com and www.myspace.com/theHOELstudio
Hometown: Quincy, MA
Artistic Discipline(s): Visual Art, Photography, Creative Writing
Fractured Atlas Member Since: June 2006
Fractured Atlas Services Used: Community

Jessica Hoel is an artist working within a variety of disciplines. She is a visual artist, a writer, and a photographer, among other things, but it is very difficult to pigeonhole her into any single one of those artistic forms. Through Jessica’s theHOELstudio, she not only provides her artistic work, but also spiritual counseling, hands-on healing, and can even create body art in the form of henna tattoos. In Jessica’s own words, “The focus of my art is love and the transformative healing it brings. I desire to show people that life is beautiful, if they choose for it to be…. You can choose to look at life with love as beautiful, or you can choose to look at it with anxiety as harmful…. Love is the creative force, and therefore, love is the root of life. I am seeking to inspire others to spread love and healing of all life.”

Jessica discovered Fractured Atlas through one of our Open Arts Network partner organizations, the Women’s Caucus for Art. We asked Jessica a few questions about herself and her work….

What/who are your biggest influences?“Personally, my biggest influences are the readings I have done to help me transform my life from that of an abuse victim to that of someone who not only survives, but thrives. Artistically, my greatest influence must be Georgia O’Keefe, as most people comment that my work is ‘Like Georgia O’Keefe, but different.’”

What have been your greatest successes to date?
“My greatest artistic success has been to sell eight paintings in one year, but my overall greatest success is changing my perspective on life.”

Finish this sentence: The artist’s role in society is to….
“…. transform the mindset of the people who come into contact with their work; to help give them a different perspective on life.”

How can we see, experience, or learn more about your work?
We encourage you to view Jessica’s extensive body of work at www.theHOELstudio.com and www.myspace.com/theHOELstudio. You can also read her blog at www.theHOELstudio.blogspot.com.