Jamie (Jay) Thomson is a metro Detroit based painter, brand designer, and retired psychologist. She grew up in rural Ohio and has lived in Virginia, Missouri, Florida, and Australia. The exposure to different places and different art communities has influenced the art she creates today.

Jamie minored in art at Ohio Northern University where she received a BA in 1997, spending as much time in the art building and in the college radio station as she did anywhere else on campus. She went on to get her doctorate in psychology immediately after graduation – and practiced for about 8 years before retiring from psychology in 2011. At that time she embraced a career change and got an AA in digital design. She has worked as a web and graphic designer since.

Several years ago she discovered that embracing her roots in studio art allowed her to meditate on creative problems in her “day job” - and her art practice has flourished ever since. She is an active member of the collaborative art gallery Lawrence Street Gallery.