Born in Albuquerque and raised in Taos, Jodie Herrera’s life, work, and heritage are of, and embedded in, New Mexico. Jodie has identified and worked as an artist her whole life. She received formal training at the University of New Mexico where she graduated with a BFA Honors with a focus on painting in 2013. She currently resides in Taos, where she works as a Photorealistic Oil Painter, Muralist, Illustrator, Mixed-Media Artist, and Curator. 

 

Jodie's main project is producing semi-photorealistic oil paintings portraying remarkable women that have persevered through trauma, most of whom are native New Mexicans. Herrera takes great care with each story, building personal and supportive relationships with each of her participants. She uses symbolism from her subject’s heritage, interests, and experiences to visually narrate the painting. Herrera accompanies each piece with a write up that explains her subject’s stories in detail. Her work strives to celebrate the beauty and resilience of these women, as well as their remarkable achievements and contributions to the community, in the hope that their stories can provide inspiration for others. 

 

Jodie developed the Women Across Borders, an International Arts and Activism project, wherein she works with refugee and immigrant women to create paintings that illustrate their personal journeys. She provides monetary and emotional support for all her participants and hopes to bring attention to the issues they face and have overcome, as well as to educate and activate others.

 

Her murals reflect the culture, history, or mission of the spaces they inhabit. They are also intended to raise awareness concerning certain people of impact and/or social justice issues that are relevant to the space and time in which they are painted. 

 

Herrera’s work has been exhibited in numerous distinguished galleries across the US, including the Art Archives of America in the Smithsonian in Washington DC, the Stone Sparrow Gallery in New York, the Maxwell Alexander Gallery in Los Angeles, and Gallery Fritz in Santa Fe as well as  many museums including the Denver History Museum. Herrera’s work has also been featured in The American Art Collector and the Beautiful Bizarre magazines and she was awarded “Best Visual Artist” of 2017, 2018, and 2019 by the Albuquerque Magazine.