“I paint my own day. Events are my palette. My soul is my brush.”
BIO
Marilynn Jennings lived her early years in Scottsdale, Arizona and received her undergraduate degree from Arizona State University. After graduation she moved to the Sierra foothills of Northern California where she built an off the grid home and raised her family. In the mid eighties she returned to school to complete a Masters Program in counseling psychology at California State University, Chico while she continued to take art classes.
Upon completion of her program, she opened a private practice as a licensed psychotherapist, led women’s groups, and continued to pursue her creative endeavors in the arts. Many of her mentors in the world of Jungian psychology, myth, and dreamwork have influenced the direction of her art as well as the professional art classes and workshops she has participated in over the past 30 years.
Jennings’ art has been represented in galleries in California, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Kansas. She has participated in juried National and International shows, won awards, and been featured in numerous publication. She has also worked with architects and interior designers to create art for public buildings and private homes.
She recently moved to the high desert of Santa Fe. Her home and art studio sit on 2+ acres of expansive mountain vistas and open skies which inspires her art. She is involved in the local art community, is a member of the New Mexico Women in the Arts, and is New Mexico True Certified through the NM Tourism Department. She also offers a unique Santa Fe experience combining the natural beauty of the area with a labyrinth walk and art expression in her studio through Airbnb Experiences.
Artist Statement
Creativity has been a continuous thread throughout my life and has taken many forms. It has been a way to create beauty in my surroundings that reflects my contemplative lifestyle and a means to express myself through the arts. I have been a professional artist for 30+ years.
The focus of my art as an abstract painter is the exploration of the mysterious and complex aspects of both the personal and collective unconscious. The inspiration for my work comes from the imagery and feelings revealed in my dreams, the beauty and rhythm of nature, and from my background in Myth and Jungian psychology.
My painting process begins with multiple layers of paint applied, obscured and reapplied creating a visual history similar to the many facets of one’s life journey. I am interested in the relationships between shapes and how they speak metaphorically in a rhythmic visual poetry. Archetypal motifs and universal symbols are expressed with the use of pattern, texture and color as a topography and gestural language begins to emerge.
I enjoy exploring the unknown and the decision making process in bringing each piece to its resolution. Each painting invites the viewer to discover their own feelings, stories, and memories.