Meet Jessica Rondon of Abu Dhabi

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Rondon.

Hi Jessica, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born and raised in Brazil, and some of my earliest memories are of watching my mom draw. She had this natural talent, and I used to just sit there and admire how something could come to life from nothing. I didn’t know it at the time, but that stayed with me.

When I was three years old, I lost the vision in my left eye. That changed a lot for me growing up. I became very shy, more quiet, more observant. I always felt things deeply, but I didn’t always know how to express them with words. I think that’s where art slowly started to become something more than just something I liked, it became a way for me to feel understood without having to explain myself.

In 2018, while living in Portugal, I picked up painting for the first time. It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t strategic, I just felt this need to create. And once I started, something inside me clicked. It felt natural, like I had finally found a way to put emotions into something visible.

Life then took me in a different direction. In 2022, I moved to Dubai, got married, and became a mother of two. Like many women, especially mothers, I put a lot of myself on pause. Art became something distant for a while, even though it never really left me.

In 2025, I found my way back to painting. Not because everything was perfect, but because I needed it again. That return wasn’t easy. Being an artist is not just about creating beautiful things, it comes with doubt, comparison, fear, and moments where you question everything you’re doing. There are days you feel proud, and days you feel like giving up. But I kept going.

Today, painting is more than just art for me, it’s my way of expressing what I can’t always say. It’s where I process emotions, where I find calm, and where I reconnect with myself.

I’m still growing, still learning, still overcoming challenges, not only as an artist, but as a person. And I think that’s the most honest part of my journey: I’m not trying to be perfect, I’m just trying to keep creating, even on the hard days.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Being an artist comes with a lot of internal and external challenges that people don’t always see.

For me, one of the biggest struggles has been confidence. Losing the vision in my left eye when I was very young made me naturally more shy and reserved, and that followed me into adulthood. Putting my work out there, showing something so personal, and opening myself up to judgment has never been easy.

Another challenge has been balancing life. Becoming a mother of two, moving countries, building a family, all of that is beautiful, but it also means there are moments where you feel like you lose parts of yourself. There was a period where I stopped painting, not because I didn’t love it, but because life simply took over.

Coming back to art in 2025 was not easy. I had doubts, I questioned myself, I compared my work to others, and there were moments I felt like I was starting from zero again. As an artist, there’s always that quiet voice asking if you’re good enough, if people will understand your work, or if you’re just wasting your time.

There are also practical struggles, like building a business from scratch, trying to find your place in a very saturated space, and learning how to turn something emotional into something that can also support you financially.

But at the same time, those challenges are what shaped me. They pushed me to keep going, to be more honest in my work, and to create from a real place. Art, for me, is not just about making something beautiful, it’s about expressing what I can’t always say.

I’m still facing challenges every day, but I’ve learned that growth comes with discomfort. And even on the hard days, I keep showing up, because creating is the one thing that truly feels like me.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a self-taught artist, and my work is deeply connected to emotion and personal experience. I specialize mainly in textured and expressive paintings, often inspired by light, movement, and the feeling of depth. For me, it’s not just about how a piece looks, but how it makes someone feel when they stand in front of it.

What I’m most proud of is actually the very first painting I ever created, called Can’t Color Inside the Lines. That piece was very personal to me. Growing up, I always felt like I wasn’t good at staying “inside the lines,” not just in art, but in life. I used to believe I wasn’t capable of doing things the “right way.”

That painting was the moment everything shifted. It was about overcoming that belief and allowing myself to create freely without fear. When I finished it, I remember thinking for the first time, “maybe I can actually do this.” That moment changed everything for me, and in many ways, that painting became the beginning of my journey as an artist.

What sets me apart is that my work comes from a very real and honest place. I don’t create just to follow trends or to fit into a certain style. Every piece is connected to something I’ve felt, experienced, or struggled with. There’s a lot of vulnerability behind my work, and I think people can sense that.

I’m still evolving and finding my voice, but I believe that’s part of what makes my work unique. It’s not perfect, it’s not always controlled, but it’s real. And for me, that’s what art is about.

What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me is my family. They are the center of everything I do and the reason I keep pushing forward, even on the hardest days.

Being a mother has changed me completely. Having a son with autism has been one of the biggest challenges in my life, but at the same time, it has made me stronger, more patient, and more understanding. It’s not always easy, and there are days that feel overwhelming, but it has also taught me to see life differently and to appreciate small moments in a deeper way.

Because of that, finding time to paint is not always simple. I don’t have unlimited hours or a perfect routine, I create whenever I can, sometimes in small windows of time. But in a way, that makes it even more meaningful. Every painting I create carries not only my emotions, but also the reality of my life behind it.

Art, for me, is not separate from my life, it is part of it. It’s how I stay connected to myself while also being present for my family. And that balance, even though it’s not perfect, is what matters the most to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.vonrondonart.com
• Instagram: Vonrondonart
• Facebook: https://Www.facebook.com/vonrondonart
• Twitter: https://X.com/vonrondonart