We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jennifer Pochinski. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jennifer below.

Jennifer, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

It takes a long time to become a painter. However the learning and discovery will never stop. I regularly find something new that creates a quiet revolution in my painting.

Being in the studio is not about ‘making good paintings.” It is about creating space to push the methods, modes and concepts. This comes from taking risks and committing 100 % to just ‘going there. This is how I learned what painting is.
There is a quote that says avoid what you do well. Our shortcomings define us. Our voice is honed by the way we get around the obstacles. Failure is so much a part of the creative process. I have learned to embrace it and allow myself to feel like an amateur at all times. I do not think I could have learned faster. My process is so intertwined with my own maturity as a human being. The biggest thing I have learned was to replace frustration with curiosity.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Jennifer Pochinski and I am a painter. I have been interested in art since I was a child. My career really started while living with my two daughters in Greece where I started showing in a small gallery. In 2010 we moved very abruptly to Northern, CA where a lot of doors opened for me artistically and career wise. In 2022, I moved to Providence, Rhode Island to be near friends and teaching opportunities. This past year I was a visiting lecturer at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston.
I have shown in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York and London.
This summer I have a solo show at Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco. I will be in a two person show with Angela Dufresne at JJ Murphy Gallery, New York.  And a group show organized by Beers London Gallery and Saatchi Gallery in London UK.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I do not have a specific story about resilience. I can only say I feel it’s often uppermost in my mind as I navigate my way through life as a working artist. It can be daunting to put something out in the world that you have created, But the truth is, creativity needs resistance. When you do not get the response you want from your work, you push harder. You either double down or pivot or whatever it takes to carry on. I think the best art is when you know that the artist is not trying to please anyone – just engage with the creative process in a potent way.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

It has given me something meaningful to do in this absurd thing called life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jenniferpochinski.com/
• Instagram: @jenniferpochinski

Image Credits
images by Karen Philippi and Glenn Turner