Jennifer Winship Mark

Humans are hardwired to create.

I believe that by using our hands to create and by teaching others to do the same, we grow into our better selves. I believe the act of creation keeps us all human, connected and sane.

I personally paint in order to edify nature, reveal mysteries, delight the eye and ask questions that only the viewer can answer. I hope my paintings serve to wake up and trigger curiosity about this existence we all share temporarily.

Mystery is the “secret sauce” behind most great art but it is also the most challenging to capture in my work. It is the little unexpected detail, the out of synch color or the hidden symbolic image that helps me to capture something mysterious and elusive that is beyond words, that mysterious “something” that is imbedded deep within our souls.

That ineffable magic is often what keeps us coming back to the same painting over and over.

I am a maker. I make everyday in my studio, in my sketchbooks, and in the soil of my gardens. I interact and experience this world through my creative practice. I no longer have a distinct style because I now heartily embrace ambiguity. I am lit up by my unpredictable, ever changing curiosities and fascinations . I love experimenting with different art mediums and techniques. My practice of experimentation has kept my art vibrant, dynamic and most importantly full of magic and mystery. Like an old alchemist I keep detailed records of my secret formulas and art techniques. It is so easy to make the “same mistake twice” if you don’t capture and record it. Just ask any historian. I hope to someday share all these secret formulas.

I have been lucky because I was able to teach, interact and be around really cool people through my partnership with Open Eye Art for the last 12 years.

I started Open Eye Art with Juliet Moran back in 2010. It was an innovative service that brought art and hands-on creativity into the workplace and to non-profits in Portland Oregon .

If you would like to see what is inspiring me this week, check out my Instagram @jennifer.mark and @openeyeart