Artist Statement
During an artist’s residency in Broken Hill in 2009, I became fascinated with the remains of man-made objects and structures left behind in the outback. It was these remnants that inspired me to begin working with Corten steel, the material I found that best reflected the raw physicality of these objects.
With my first series of Corten sculptures, a major design decision was made to have them all standing on their points as a response to the impact the pioneers had on the massive landscape of the outback. They lightly touched the surface leaving few traces. The triangular forms and spirals were more of a notion of their existence. This element of the sculptures pivoting has continued through to my latest works.
Lately my artistic influences largely derive from the coastal environment in which I live. I wanted to make something organic, make hard steel appear soft. The group of kinetic sculptures entitled “Drifters” is sourced directly from nature in the floating mangrove seedlings that have been washed to shore.
The sculptures reference the fluid, organic forms of the petals yet I have tried to avoid description or narrative in the interpretation. It is simply the conventional, sculptural language that is suggested in their structure. They are conveyed as dynamic and expressive forms in space with synergy of aesthetic composition between their parts.
I work intuitively, so the piece evolves throughout the construction process.
Often I start with a fixed idea of the final structure, then change it part way through as the creative process continues. It has to feel right! I love working with steel and I especially enjoy hand rolling it.
(See Jen's paintings profile here)
Biography
Jen was born in Sydney Australia in 1961. She lived and worked in Innsbruck Austria as an Artist and Designer for 7 years and since 1995 lives on the Far South Coast NSW. Jen has worked as a Graphic Designer since 1982 and started her own Graphic Design business in 2004. She has been working as a full-time professional artist since 2009.
Education/Residencies
2012 Artists in Residence in Sculpture, Red Deer College, Alberta, Canada -
September/October
Certifi cate III, Engineering, Heavy Fabrication, Illawarra Institute, Bega NSW (currently)
2010-11 Certificate, Manual Metal Arc Welding, Illawarra Institute, Bega NSW
2009 Artists in Residence, Broken Hill Art Exchange, Broken Hill NSW - 4 weeks
1979-81 Graphic Design Certificate, Sydney Institute TAFE, Randwick NSW
1978-79 Ceramics Certificate I & II, Sydney Institute TAFE, Hornsby NSW
Exhibitions/Awards
Solo Exhibitions
2010 Connections – Ivy Hill Gallery, Wapengo NSW
2009 Form and Light 2 – Artist of the Month, McGees Gallery, Mornington VIC
2008 Form and Light – Ivy Hill Gallery, Wapengo NSW
Raw – Berenguer Studio Gallery, Pambula NSW
1996 A New Energy – Old Bank Gallery, Pambula NSW
Upcoming Exhibitions
2012 December 2012 – Recent paintings and sculptures – Ivy Hill Gallery, Wapengo NSW
October/November 2012 – Artisans in the Gardens, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
August 2012 – The Hill, Raglan Gallery and Cultural Centre, Cooma
Selected Group Exhibitions
2012 Sculpture on the Edge – Bermagui NSW
2011 The Hill – Broken Hill Mining and Minerals Museum, Broken Hill NSW
The Hill – Bega Valley Regional Gallery, Bega NSW
Sculpture on the Edge – Bermagui NSW
Bega Valley Art Awards – Bega Valley Regional Gallery, Bega NSW
2010 Abstraction in Focus – 27 Gipps Street Gallery, Richmond VIC
Carte Postale – Angela Fitzpatrick’s Gallery Space, Broken Hill NSW
2009 Art Melbourne – represented by McGees Gallery, Melbourne VIC
2008 Figurative Moments – Art Moment Gallery, Bondi Beach NSW
FSCLAP – Art Auction, Far South Coast NSW Cowra Festiavl Art Awards – Cowra Regional
Gallery
Art Melbourne, Off the Wall – Melbourne VIC
McGees Gallery, Mornington, VIC
2007 Art of the Far South Coast - Mechanics Institute, Moruya NSW, Spiral Gallery, Bega NSW, Raglan Gallery and Cultural Centre, Cooma NSW
2006 Art of the Far South Coast - Spiral Gallery, Bega NSW
1999 Group show – Old Bank Gallery, Pambula NSW
1997 Bega Valley Art Awards – Bega Valley Regional Gallery, Bega NSW
Four South Coast Artists – Bungendore Wood Works Gallery, Bungendore NSW
1996 Hidden Valley Art Gallery, Bodalla NSW
South Coast Contemporary Art Group, Bega Valley Regional Gallery, Bega NSW
Awards
2012 Sculpture on the Edge - Winner - Cox Prize (Acquisitive)
2011 Sculpture on the Edge - Daniel and Adam Iliffe Sculpture Prize
Sculpture on the Edge - Don Moffatt and Cecilia Ng Sponsorship Award
2006 Life Drawing - Adam and Eve unrobed in Eden, Artworx Gallery (Acquisitive)
1991 Design - Tirolean Print Awards, Innsbruck, Austria
1986 Design - Gold Medal, Third National Print Awards, Adelaide SA