Born in New York City, Jessie Coles spent most of her childhood in Africa and the Middle East, where her father was posted in the Foreign Service. She received a BA in Studio Art from the University of Virginia, where she studied painting with Philip Geiger. She continued her study of painting and drawing at the Corcoran School of Art and Piedmont Virginia Community College.

Her work is included in numerous private and public collections, including the Inova Schar Cancer Institute, University of Virginia Hospital, Martha Jefferson Hospital, and Boar’s Head Resort. Coles is the recipient of a Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Professional Fellowship for 2026-2027, a two-time semi-finalist for the Bethesda Painting Award, and a recipient of the Blue Morning Foundation purchase award.

She has taught painting and drawing privately as well as at Crozet Arts, Beverly Street Studio School, McGuffey Art Center, and Nimrod Hall Art Center. She lives and works in Charlottesville, Virginia, and is represented by Les Yeux du Monde Gallery.