Jen Matthews
Jen is a brand designer and artist living in Raleigh, North Carolina. A child of the 80’s, the fashion, color and patterns from that decade are palpable influences in her painting. Probably because her mom owned a clothing store at that time, and Jen spent countless hours amongst the shoulder pads, floral prints and color-blocked power suits that adorned the racks. Her art is bold, playful and alive — a mix of abstract and graphic. With a maximalism approach reconfigured into minimalism technique, she develops layer upon textured layer while staying true to a simple, discovered visual story.
“A maximalist at heart, I approach my paintings with whatever feels right in the moment, experimenting with layers of color, texture and pattern. To keep my paintings from looking like a midlife crisis, I work to pull together a simplified, visual story. At times my work represents a journey and other times I strive to replicate the energy of nature in a distinct way. Each painting is an evolution from the last as my practice is more about discovery than repetition.”
“A maximalist at heart, I approach my paintings with whatever feels right in the moment, experimenting with layers of color, texture and pattern. To keep my paintings from looking like a midlife crisis, I work to pull together a simplified, visual story. At times my work represents a journey and other times I strive to replicate the energy of nature in a distinct way. Each painting is an evolution from the last as my practice is more about discovery than repetition.”
