Bio:
Jennifer’s art explores the link between mark-making, color and emotion. Her subjects are moments of feeling that are unique to a particular experience, dream or memory. Her work is characterized by strong color and an earnest, searching, and unpolished quality. While much art today strives for a sense of realism, Jennifer uses reality as a springboard to another place.
Native to the Pacific Northwest, Jennifer resides in Olympia, Washington. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a focus in oil painting from Ohio Wesleyan University, Jennifer went on to attend the University of Puget Sound receiving a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy in 2007. In 2012 she began studying under the guidance of artist Simon Kogan. Since 2015 Jennifer has scaled back her work in health care significantly in order to devote herself more fully to painting.
Artist Statement:
These works were created as preparatory drawings to explore a direction in painting without the use of reference material aside from emotion. They were not created with the intention of being shown, but for private use, as free explorations. They are meant to convey the particular emotional quality of an experience, memory or dream. What interests me in making art is participating with something intangible— like an unexpected feeling that sneaks up on you, like something witnessed out of the corner of the eye or half-remembered, but deeply felt. My hope is that this feeling will somehow be transmitted to the viewer.
My process in making these drawings is somewhat mysterious to me. It involves a heavy concentration on feeling with a very loose grip on an idea or form. When the form starts to show itself I try to follow it and help it along, without pushing it into defining itself too soon. If I keep myself out of the way, the drawing happens.
I primarily work in oil paint, but also charcoal, graphite, ink, water media, digital media, and sometimes cut and torn paper as the need arises.