Chris Jeanguenat Named Featured Artist for the 2027 NSA Art Show and Sale

Award-winning Virginia-based painter and calligrapher Chris Jeanguenat has been selected as the featured artist for NSA's 2027 Art Show and Sale, which will take place January 30, 2027 through February 7, 2027 in the Lower School at the Main Campus.

Known for her richly detailed and narrative-driven artwork, Chris works in a distinctive baroque illustrative style that blends intricate ornamentation, expressive black linework and layered symbolism. Her work combines storytelling, nature and calligraphy to create visually immersive compositions that celebrate imagination and the beauty of creation.

Her artistic practice is deeply influenced by a lifelong connection to nature and her experiences as both a military child and military spouse, with recurring themes of resilience, transformation and memory. With more than 35 years of painting experience and more than 40 years of calligraphy practice, she has built a career spanning exhibitions, teaching, publications, jury service and arts leadership.

Chris' work has received numerous honors, including Virginia's Best Award at the MOCA Boardwalk Art Show (2025), Best in Show at the Stockley Gardens Arts Festival (2021), second place at Stockley Gardens (2024), Best in Painting awards at both the Seawall Arts Festival and Chesapeake Arts Festival and multiple awards at the Port Warwick Arts & Sculpture Festival. She has been featured by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and served as a Featured Artist at the Rawls Museum.

Her work and career have been highlighted in publications including Chalked Magazine, Painting World Magazine, Turquoise Iris Journal, Voyage Baltimore, Tattoo Savage Magazine, Bold Journey Magazine and Women in Art Magazine. She will also be a featured artist in the summer 2027 edition of What Women Create magazine, will serve as juror for the 2027 Art Speaks Juried Art Show at Bay School Community Arts Center and will present a solo exhibition at the Newport News Community Gallery (December 2026–January 2027).

Chris is also committed to arts leadership and community engagement, serving as exhibitions chair on the executive board of the Suffolk Art League and regularly participating as a juror, instructor and mentor for regional arts organizations.

Her work has been exhibited widely throughout Virginia and beyond in museums, galleries, festivals and cultural institutions, including Norfolk Botanical Garden, the Rawls Museum, Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts, Glen Allen Cultural Arts Center and the Richmond Cultural Arts Center.