Janessa Harmon (b. California) is a self-taught figurative painter working primarily in oils. Her work explores depictions of figures in intimate and restorative spaces. Guided by an interest in how the body holds memory, exhaustion, and ease, Harmon’s paintings examine what it means to reclaim rest and authenticity in a world that often demands performance and resilience.

Her figures are often surrounded by objects, textures, and design elements that carry personal and cultural symbolism, revealing the quiet dialogue between identity, place, and inner life.

As a self-taught artist, Harmon approaches painting as both discovery and liberation—an act of returning to creative intuition without the limitations of formal instruction. Her work is informed by her travels, cultural heritage, and reflections on sustainability and care.

Harmon’s paintings have been exhibited in New York City and Los Angeles. In 2024, she contributed Self Evaluation (2024) to the Museum of the African Diaspora’s Collecting through the Diaspora: Benefit Auction in San Francisco and presented new work with Wavemaker’s Art Noir in New York.

She holds a BA in Political Science with a minor in Sociology from the University of San Francisco.