Art on the Walls: Jennifer Bolch
BCAA Art on the Walls exhibit "Unspoken Conversations" featuring the works of Jennifer Bolch.
| WHERE: | Barnes & Noble Cafe | |
| RECEPTION: | Tuesday, March 3, 2009 - 5:30pm | |
| RUNS THROUGH: | Tuesday, March 31, 2009 | |
| ARTIST WEBSITE: | www.jenniferbolch.com |
This body of work is comprised of emotive portraiture; work that portrays the emotions of the subject as well as evokes an emotion response from the viewer. I want hte work to create an interactive emotional space between the painting and the viewer which is intended to be cyclic. It is my hope that this work will be used as a framework for an unspoken conversation dealing with the issues that women face in today's society with an emphasis on domestic violence.
Leonardo da Vinci said, "A work of art is a world in itself reflecting the senses and emotions of the artist's world." As an artist that works with spreading emotions onto the canvas, I feel that it is important for me to paint subjects that are close to me and that I have a strong connection to. This allows me to cross the line from illustrating to expressing emotions through my work. I want my work to be raw and poignant and a materialization of sentiments buried in the crevasses of my interior whether they are found in shadow or light. Something that has been unremitting in my world of late has been my reaction to domestic violence.
I have spent a lot of time this past year volunteering at the Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence, a battered women's shelter and outreach program. In doing so, I have been exposed to a variety of things that I wasn't sure I was ready to experience. Some of those things are very ugly and difficult to see like angry hur women and children that can't find comfort in another person's touch, only fear. Stendhal said, "I do not feel I have the wisdome yet to love what is ugly." This year, I feel like I have been able to find that wisdom. Because beneath the bruises and fear are strong women; women that have found the power and strength within themselves to leave everything behind and seek a better life for themselves and their children.
Since I started working at the shelter, the issue of domestic violence and particularly its impact on women and our society has been at the forefront of my mind. I have been exploring domestic violence and how to create conversation about the subject thorugh my paintings. Domestic violence is something that occurs far too often and is rarely discussed. It stirs strong emotions for those that have experiences with it and most of the time those expxeriences are buried. It is a subject that I feel needs to be resurfaced in our society so that it can be dealt with and eradicated. I want people to understand the concepts of power and control surrounding domestic violence, empathize with the struggle these women go through, and comprehend that in the end, these are strong and beautiful women. I have used my artwork as a framework for this unspoken conversation.
Another subject that surfaces frequently in my artwork is the idea of being a woman in general. I am interested in the power of being a woman as well as exploring how our world affects us and how we affect our world. Every woman understands how difficult it can sometimes be to be a woman as well as the soul-deep beauty that our gender holds. Becoming a woman, recreating ourselves constantly while maintaining our sense of self, and our expressions of sexuality are just a few of the concepts that I have been exploring.
Self |
Loss of Innocence |
Blue |
Broken |
