Meet the Artist
Jes Reger Davis
Wedged between city streets and wooded hillsides, I grew up in my backyard surrounded by summer breezes whispering in the trees, the smells of honeysuckle and sodden earth after a storm, and distant birdsong on a rainy day. The Painter’s Nest is my home; it’s the trails and deep forests of the Mountain State, the trees behind my childhood home, and my backyard tucked between green hills and urban sprawl. It’s a collection of places and memories inspiring my love for nature and capturing the essence of the natural world in watercolor.
The comfort I feel outside weaves into my paintings and teaching style; I want others to feel and experience that same comfort and happiness in my workshops and artwork. My paintings are a creative exploration of our connection to the natural world. I’m drawn to fleeting glimpses and the stillness of nature—from lost feathers on the forest floor, robins perched atop the chain link fence, crawdads nestled along crick beds, and woodland creatures beyond the thicket. Creatures big and small live in my sketchbook; their portraits adorn my walls, bringing the beauty and solace of nature indoors—a feeling I want to share with others who love and appreciate nature, seek adventure, and desire to explore their surroundings.
Photo by Shiloh Leath Photography
Artist Biography
A 2020 Tamarack Emerging Artist Fellow, Jes Reger Davis is a watercolorist and teaching artist whose work is deeply inspired by the beauty of the natural world. With a Bachelor of Science in Visual Art and English Literature from West Liberty University, she has cultivated a unique perspective that shapes the way she captures nature. She has taught dozens of watercolor workshops in over fifteen cities throughout Appalachia, and continues to share her enthusiasm for nature and watercolor.
In September of 2019, Jes began her journey as a teaching artist and artist in residence with the Rural Arts Collaborative, fostering creativity and collaborating with educators in schools throughout the Northern Panhandle. In 2022 and 2023, Jes was the recipient of two grants through the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, and History and the National Endowment for the Arts as well as the Tamarack Foundation of the Arts, allowing her to teach traveling nature in watercolor workshops in small towns throughout West Virginia.
She became a cohort with the Alliance for Creative Rural Economies in 2023 to grow her business as well as connect with communities through her art. In 2024, Jes had the honor of serving as a guest juror for The West Virginia Watercolor Society’s "Aqueous 2024 Exhibit" and "It's All About Birds" at Summit Art Gallery in Weirton, WV in 2026, further showcasing her influence and recognition within the art community.
Her work has been featured in juried exhibits, nature centers, and brick and mortars throughout Appalachia, and she has earned awards for her work in plein air painting, including a first place in watercolor in the Weirton: A City Forged by Steel exhibit.
Currently, Jes teaches watercolor classes from her home studio, Table 304, and Stifel Fine Arts Center. Through her dedication to both teaching and creating, Jes continues to inspire and cultivate a love for watercolor and nature in her community.