"... I was first excited by “Sunstars”, where spiky beams of light radiated from the sun in photographs I took, then to small orbs, or “Ghosting,” all from the camera lens creating lens flares. I found myself drawn to moments where light shifts or bends. In very simple terms, “Refraction” is the bending of light as it passes from one transparentmedium to another, which makes the light change speed, and the light can split into a spectrum of colors. A camera lens can create lens flare, while a rainbow is created by light refracting through atmospheric water droplets. While revisiting older photographs I had taken, I realized that rainbows appeared in many of them. I was hesitant to paint them at first, as I was trying to understand why I was so drawn to them. Then my grandmother passed away, and I saw the most magnificent rainbow the next day. I felt like it was a message from her to enjoy this gift of painting, and I leapt into painting rainbows as well."

Jaime Coffey

Jaime Coffey is a Los Angeles-based contemporary painter whose work merges environmental, climate, and personal narratives into vibrant visual journeys. Originally from Oregon, she earned her degree in painting from the Pacific Northwest College of Art before embarking on extensive international travel, during which she developed a passion for studying light. In her studio, Coffey cuts, crops, and rearranges photographic references from her travels and local walks, translating them into intricate, multi-layered egg tempera paintings (a traditional mixture of egg yolk, dry pigment, and water). Coffey prefers this medium for its exceptional nuances in tone, transparency, and vibrancy. Coffey’s newest body of work focuses on the sun, moon, and sky.