Thursday, March 1, 2007

Review by Donald Dusinberre

Critic acclaims Jennifer's new Intrinsic Nature Series
March 2007

Donald Dusinberre, art critic for EU Jacksonville, had this to say regarding Jennifer's Intrinsic Nature Series now on display at Stellers Gallery Annex:

While I consider myself a focused person while I'm looking at art, I cannot say the same for myself when I'm looking for art. Apparently, the Stellers Gallery has four locations, and it took me a couple of tries to find the right one. There's one in Ponte Vedra, Neptune Beach, San Marco, and Julington Creek. Nevertheless, I successfully found the Stellers Gallery Annex in Neptune Beach, currently displaying the work of Jennifer J.L. Jones, an artist living in Atlanta, Georgia.

Jones' mixed-media work is rooted in nature, though not completely representational like the work of a landscape artist. Each piece in her Intrinsic Nature series is a sophisticated example of texture and aura. She smoothly incorporates a variety of materials, including paints, wax, paper, charcoal, glue, and metal. Despite using such seemingly incongruous materials, Jones exhibits a masterful ability to integrate them and construct a uniquely cohesive visual plane. Lightly sheeted within many layers of paint is a single background color, washing in and out of view. Floating gently above the background are branches, leaves, and petals that stand as sharp flecks of contrast to the mist of color behind them. From a short distance away, some of the paintings may resemble photos of a deep space nebula or the bottom of a shallow pond.

Upon examination, Jones' paintings imposed upon me a strange effect. Those countless intermingling layers and floating petals caused me to lose the thoughts I intended to think, and drew me into vague impressions from which I could not escape. Jones herself alludes to this effect in her bio: "The colors I choose to glaze over one another create mood, atmosphere, and a 'vibration' of energy unique to each viewer interacting with the final piece."

Perhaps that sounds a bit fruity to some of you, and for the most part, I don't generally acknowledge any sense of "energy" or "aura". Many of the concepts of Feng Shui are a load of crap, and people who say they see auras around others are desperate for attention or admiration. In other words, your own perception is the only thing you can believe. But that doesn't mean that the energy vibrations and auras don't exist. They are simply coming from the viewer, not the painting, and that's why they can be different for each person.

Jones' paintings are successful because they can bring about just such an interaction. It's a delightful thing to become lost in the fog of a painting, and the Stellers Gallery Annex is full of them. The Annex is comfortable and not at all intimidating, so head out to the beach this week and take a few moments to view this artist's work.

The Stellers Gallery Annex is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., as well as Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Learn more about the Stellers Gallery by visiting www.stellersgallery.com Their website contains a portfolio of images and an artist statement by Jennifer J.L. Jones

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