Jennifer Beinhacker: blood series

Those of you who follow this blog may remember Jennifer from last year's ArtoMatic – she was my very first ArtoMatic interviewee.

This year she returned with a lime green partition wall (this picture does not do it justice) and all new work, so of course I simply had to interview her again to catch up with her artistic development. (see some great shots of Jennifer's work on Erin's blog here)

Last year your show consisted of totems [ below right] which I LOVE) and found objects collage.  You said "I can't draw at all and have all these images in my mind that I couldn't quite transfer to canvas."  It seems in the intervening year you have overcome that.  Tell us a little about the impetus of the "Blood Series."

Aren't you sweet to say I have "overcome" my lack of drawing skills since last year's AOM.  I'm not quite sure my "creatures" have that "human" look, but perhaps they aren't supposed to.

The "blood series" – I love painting "in blood" (well, ok for the faint at heart,it's red paint!  but shhhh – don't tell!).  Impetus for the series:  last year, at AOM opening night, I was so energized by the art I saw that the folloiwng day I went to my studio and created the "Blood series."  When I wasn't at AOM I was painting painting painting…I was in a frenzy.  I created 6 "Blood series" in 3 weeks.  As to the meaning of the series – that is always the hardest question I am asked about all (or any) of my work.  The creative process for me takes many avenues.  Sometimes I am inspired by travels I have made (the Kali figure in "Blood Series 3" is a result of my travels in India – I have created several art pieces based in my India experience); other art pieces are images that come to me from books I read.  "The Dialogues for the dead," first, second and thrid dialogues, are from a fragment in a book.  Other times I feel "I want to pain in black – or green – or red;  smetimes it is a found object that is the moving force behind an art piece:  teeth; bones; headless dolls.  Other times it is the object (shape, size, texture) of the wood that I am painting on that dictates the direction the art piece takes.  For every art piece there is a different eginning, and I never know from start to finish the way an art piece will evolve.

Love the lime green wall.  It certainly has its own energy!  Give us some insight into your thoughts around choosing your background color.

I chose the lime green [the picture below does not begin to capture the lime-ness of the background] as my wall background color because of the energy the color has, the sunlight that it exudes, the cheerfulness/brightness of the color in contract to the darkness that I try to portray in my art pieces…and…it matches my nail polish!!!  [ed note:  I can attest to this.]

Where do you feel your art may move over the coming year or are you simply open to whatever shows up next?

I don't know where my art will take me in the coming year.  July 9 I am going on a 6 week African trek (me, my husband and a small backpack:  Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo and Ghana.  I am sure when I return that I will bring Africa home with me and Africa will find a home in my art pieces.

This is your 2nd ArtOMatic – do you find it different from your first?

Many positive things happened to me as a result of AOM 07.  The most important part for me was the wonderful community of artists that I became part of, the friendships I made (you and I met there!  a big plus!), the "family" of artists I am now a part of.  Additionally, I sold many of my collages and magical boxes.  I was interviewed on television on the Lars from Marz show.  Both the director and the curator of a gallery on U Street in Washington saw my work at AOM and offered me a show in their gallery. I was in two art shows in a gallery on 7th Street in Washington.

At the AOM artist social this past Sunday, May 18, I sold a collage to a fellow artist (a very nice photographer). I really enjoy selling to a fellow artist.  I am so pleased that one of my art pieces will be going to a good home!.

This year I was more involved behind the scenes (which I greatly enjoyed), and am more involved this year in partaking of AOM happenings.

There is a big difference in the physical layout of last year's and this year's AOM.  Last year:  two floors, both vastly different.  The 6th floor a series of offices (of former employeees in the building) and the 8th floor a vast open space.  I was on the 6th floor and had a room with bright light, ample wall space and one space mate.  The 67th floor was more for the 2d artists and the other floor more for installation pieces.  This year we have more space available and more artists showing (which I think is a plus of this building).  All the floors are "the same" in a sense and 2d and installation pieces are mixed together – which I think is a plus.  The one thing that I feel is that personally for me it is a drawback that we artists are soooo spread out on sooooo many floors that we don't have the opportunity to interact with each other as often as we did last year.  I miss that.    I really really like spending time, talking, sharing, laughing, being silly or profound with my fellow artists.  Since we have so many floors of art, floor a and 4 – 12 (I am on 12, SW, space 5A – I love the sunlight on the 12th floor and the view of D.C. is amazing), I am a tad concerned that the art loving patrons will develop museum head and not see all there is to see.  I hope folks return many times as there is a lot to take in.

Anything else you want to share?

I am so please that you invited me back to your blog.  Last year we met at AOM and our friendship began.  This year our friendship is in full bloom.

This year I have a website– my husband designed it and gave it to me as a Chanukah present.  I call my art Art outside the edge…I hope I never come in from the edge!!!

thought for the day:  (borrowed from Creative Every Day)