Meet the Artist: 5 Questions with Jennifer Khoshbin
Originally from Philadelphia, artist Jennifer Khoshbin now resides in San Antonio. She comes from the background of having grown up in a very artistic family and in this interview, we had the opportunity to learn more about her process, the inspirations behind her best-selling series The Sun Seekers, and what she has planned for 2023!
Have you always worked in sculpture? What do you enjoy about it?
Have you always worked in sculpture? What do you enjoy about it?
I enjoy all mediums and have created works throughout my career in many different styles and a variety of materials. Often I am working with clients or galleries that are very site-specific, which will determine what type of work I am creating. And other times, I'll be working on a long-term project that has a specific goal and theme, which will determine what medium I'm working in. These Flower Power Pose sculptures are part of a bigger exhibition called the Sun Seekers that has works on paper, works in felt, and custom clothing.
What inspired the Sun Seekers series?
Climate change and our (dis)connection to the natural world. My sister and I travel out to West Texas quite often. It's a magical place with enormous skies and strange and beautiful, small, art communities. Terlingua is one of those towns - far, far away from everything and full of interesting and creative people. In the summer, the sun beats down and shines bright across everything - and it was there that the story of the Sun Seekers started, set against the backdrop of climate change and the pandemic. We have been working on this story of these mythological group of people for the past few years now.
Can you walk us through the process of making these pieces? What does it entail?
These particular sculptures were inspired by an old Toy company called the Marx Toy Co from 1919. Marx created the "Campus Cuties", as they called them then, and I started collecting them years ago. I created molds of these old toy figurines, changing them up a bit with clay modeling. After creating the molds, I add resin, dye, and pressed botanicals into the mold's cavity and extract them when hardened.
How would you fill in the blank? When someone experiences my work, I hope they feel _______.
.... a small moment of clarity in a larger confusing story.
What's next for you art career-wise in 2023?
What's next for you art career-wise in 2023?
Very much still attached to the story of the Sun Seekers and creating art that deals with our confusing relationship with the natural environment, I'll be working on two different projects for the first part of 2023 - a series of short stories that are assembled into handmade booklets comprised of drawings and watercolors; and a custom clothing line of up-cycled clothes, sewn, patched and painted on. Sun Seeker uniforms.