We're thrilled about the group of artists who are exhibiting together in our current show "Chromatic" and want to give you the opportunity to get to know them better! Here is an interview with Delaware-based abstract painter Jennifer Small, who was also featured in our inaugural exhibition 'Pilot'. She really brings an edgy, vibrant feel to the show and we're excited for you to learn more about her and her incredible artwork.
Jennifer Small is a Pennsylvania native who received a BFA in Painting and BS in Art Education from Millersville University in 2005 and MFA in Painting from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2012. She has exhibited her work in galleries and fairs in Philadelphia, Washington, DC, New York, Richmond, Savannah, and Chicago. Media features have included New American Paintings, Studio Visit Magazine, Studio Break Podcast, and various other blogs and online publications. Formerly a high school art educator in the Washington DC and Chicago areas, she now lives and work as a painter and visual designer in Wilmington, Delaware.
How has your work and studio practice evolved since you last exhibited with PxP Contemporary?
Since I last exhibited with PxP I have been experimenting with more painterly applications including transparent layers, gradients, and spray paint textures combined with the flat, hard-edge areas that have been present the last few years. I have also moved into a house in Delaware from an apartment in Chicago which has influenced the types of source material I have access to that inspires my work.
How do you describe your style?
I describe my style of painting as representational abstraction because every part of my paintings comes from something I've seen and recorded either through photos or drawings.
Around the Block at Sunset
12 x 9 inches$850
Tell us about the specific pieces you're showing in "Chromatic". Give us a bit of insight into your process of creating them and what you hope viewers take away from seeing them.
Around the Block at Sunset is made up of parts of objects I observed and photographed in the neighborhood around my house while walking my dog–railings at the entrance to a church, cast shadow of a bike rack, and parts of other buildings. The color palette was inspired by a very bold sunset I observed.
Morning Sun on the Counter was inspired by a few of the images I collected in and around my house, light hitting the kitchen counter and cabinets in the morning, pieces of spouting on buildings down the street, and a wooden sign at a local business. The palette in this work was more of a formal choice. I wanted to work with complements in the pink and greens. I also wanted to include an additional color that could be warm or cool and pulled in the yellow to bridge the gap between the two.
What role does color play in your paintings?
Color plays a huge role in drawing the viewer into the work. It also acts as a means for me to make the connection between representation and abstraction because it helps to take the shapes, lines, forms that I put together to create my compositions that come from real life out of context and puts the work into the genre of abstraction. I also use color in a formal way to create visual interest, eye movement, and depth within the painting.
Just for fun! What's your favorite color?
Right now my favorite color to use in my paintings is yellow, but it changes all the time!
Thank you so much for reading! Please don't forget to check out "Chromatic" on our Exhibitions page for a variety of affordable abstract paintings and contemporary collage art.
