Last week we were given the opportunity to meet with and speak to an incredible artist, Jennie West. Right from the start, I thought that Jennie’s artwork was very abstract and cool. I found it particularly interesting that  in the pieces of artwork displayed in the background, she used her own technique. This technique was to close your eyes and draw what you see. From there, she filled in the shapes with certain colors. I like the range of colors that she used because they are colors that I’ve typically seen together, but worked well. In addition to this, I could relate to Jennie when she said that she would up-cycle things into artwork. She made her own little rug out of clothing that she no longer wore. I too, during quarantine, was able to start a lot of projects like Jennie has. I began to resew my old clothes into something that is more wearable and I learned how to embroider. I enjoyed listening to a lot of the principles that Jennie stands for.

Furthermore, I found it valuable when Jennie spoke about having a steady income as an artist. This is important because, as she said, if you depend on your art to make money, there is almost like a form of desperation that is portrayed through the art. I never thought about it like that, but I see where Jennie is coming from with this statement. I was able to learn a lot from Jennie, and am sure many others feel the same way. It was inspiring to see Jennie’s success and happiness in this field.