Artists Statement
“My work reflects my interest in the process, where the act of creation becomes as essential as the outcome. Through layering, carving, and mark-making, I explore how materials and methods can evoke emotional responses that remind us of our place within the larger whole.”
About the Artist
Jami Nix Rahn’s art defies genre, slipping between mediums and styles—from the precision of hyper-realism to the chaos of abstraction—always on her own terms.
Jami's artistic journey is characterized by constant change and adaptation. Raised in a military family, she developed a profound sensitivity to place, identity, and transformation. Her early training began in Europe, where she apprenticed under master artisans in stone carving and bronze casting in Portugal. Influenced by notable sculptors like Alberto Giacometti, Auguste Rodin, and Henry Moore, these experiences greatly impacted her approach to form, space, and the dynamic capacity of art, which continue to inform her painting style. She furthered her practice in Geneva, Switzerland, and São Paulo, Brazil, before returning to the U.S. While living in New York, Jami pursued portraiture in pastels and oils under the guidance of master artist Daniel E. Greene, PSA, NA, AWS. She refined her skills at the Art Students League NY, studying with Richard C. Pionk and John Hultberg.
Arriving in South Florida in the early 2000s, Jami's work responded to the emergence of Art Basel Miami Beach and the vibrant urban art scenes of the Wynwood district. This engagement led to the development of a hyper-realistic series of paintings characterized by spontaneity and bold colors. Jami earned her BFA in painting from Florida Atlantic University where she received the David and Alfrede Myerson Achievement Award in Fine Arts and the Arts and letters Scholarship.
Since settling in the Vail Valley in 2020, Jami Nix Rahn has refined her artistic practice to focus on large-scale oil and cold wax paintings that draw inspiration from the intricate patterns found in nature. Her work, influenced by the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains, operates at the intersection of lyrical modernism and abstract expressionism. Constructed through layers of texture, her paintings explore the complex relationship between transient beauty and lasting environmental presence. In series such as Fragile Nature and Echoes of Time, Rahn engages viewers in a contemplation of our role within a delicate web of existence, inviting reflection on a future that prioritizes balance over dominance.
Jami has exhibited in museums and galleries across the U.S. and internationally, with her works included in public and private collections worldwide.