We were lucky to catch up with Jennifer J. L. Jones recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jennifer J. L. thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

Funny enough, the first time I received money for my artwork was in 9th grade. My Algebra teacher, Mrs. Merrill, commissioned me. It was a watercolor image of a flower… I had used a black marker as my pointalism tool. It was about 11″x14″ and it was a delicate, yet strong drawing/painting. I was quite proud of it. I’ll never forget it… she drove up in her brown corvette on a Saturday afternoon at my home and gave me a check for $25. I can’t remember if it was before or after that commission when I stated to my parents, “I want to be an Artist for my living!”

Jennifer J. L. , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve been an artist since as far back as I can remember. I’ve always been interested in creating art and there was nothing better than a new box of crayons and coloring books even in nursery school. As I went through my education, I enrolled in advanced art courses and started winning awards and gaining recognition. By ninth grade I knew I wanted to be a full time artist. I studied at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and received my BFA. I’ve been full time with my artwork for 24 years… exhibiting my paintings internationally with an incredible list of representing galleries, exhibitions and art collectors. My work is in thousands of private homes, offices, and in public art collections. My paintings are contemporary abstract and are inspired by nature. I like to layer and glaze my paintings so there is an ethereal quality, but also an energetic combination of fluidity and intentional bold brushstrokes and color. I like to create paintings that allow viewers to experience through feelings and see different images in the final pieces. Over the years I have watched the artwork transform and grow just as I continue to do a person… the most exciting part to me is hearing about how the paintings have been healing for many people. My work is included in many health care facilities and I am honored to hear from people who found the artwork to be such a comfort sometimes when they are struggling. My work is a reflection of my soul and life… things to remind us all to celebrate being in each moment. I’m currently working on two more paintings commissioned by a hospital in Florida and I can’t wait to see them installed soon.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

You have to be careful who you work with and look out for yourself. Try not to be taken advantage of… I have been through a few scenarios where I was determined to stand up for myself and feel I was pretty resilient considering some of the circumstances earlier in my career. Years ago I had the opportunity to exhibit my artwork in Lisbon, Portugal. It went well for a couple of years and even had my paintings included in a couple of exciting group shows. The gallery had sent me videos and were great about keeping in touch. However, one day I couldn’t reach the gallery. I didn’t think too much of it because it was around the holidays and I assumed they were just busy and would get back to me when they could. Fast forward to months of trying to email and call and write letters with no responses left me worried and anxious. I had no success reaching anyone. Turns out the gallery had closed! The art dealer had moved without telling me and had my artwork in his possession. I had no way to reach him or know what was going on. I only found out that much by contacting one of the other artists in Portugal who was living in Spain. A business partner of mine located an American attorney online, living in Lisbon and after we spoke he had agreed to help me out. He was willing to locate the art dealer and contact him on my behalf without charging me for his services on the account that he hated to hear what had happened and assured me he would only ask for payment if he needed to do something official like filing legal documents. Well, after a few weeks, he had successfully located the art dealer, but to my surprise, he not only met him, he took him out to lunch and then billed me for the lunch. He also recorded every minute he had spoken to me on a phone call and for every second he had read or written and email to find this art dealer. He also tried to convince me to stay with the art dealer even though I still had no information as to where my artwork was. To put it mildly, it was very upsetting. I felt taken advantage of and not only was one person trying to pull one over on me, but a second! Luckily I had a few art collectors I knew who are attorneys… I reached out to them, explained the situation and was able to find one that had connections at the embassy. Within 48 hours of contacting the embassy, not only did they contact the art dealer and demand he return my artwork, but the embassy graciously had the paintings safely stored in their vault! It was such a relief as all of this had been going on for a year! I then flew to Lisbon with one of my brothers, a former Marine, and he assisted me in packaging and shipping the paintings home. The day before we left, the Embassy held a ceremony for me with the Ambassador who accepted one of my donated paintings in to their permanent collection. I was so proud that something so positive could come out of such a stressful ordeal! As far as the other American guy that had sent me his attorney fees/bill… well he just wouldn’t go away. He harassed me and never admitted that he had done anything wrong and denied misleading me. We never had anything in writing which had been my naivity. My personal attorney saw how distressed I was with this and in order to finally be done with this opportunistic deceptive person, she recommended I just pay him. I did so begrudgingly. I had no wish to continue the feud and decided to take that as a very expensive lesson as I moved onward and upward with my art career. It made me stronger, wiser, and a better business woman. It also made me love Portugal more than ever. The people I met were incredibly warm, kind and friendly. And the country is amazing. I think about moving permanently to Portugal all the time.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The reward is in how it affects viewers and when they feel something special. Whether the art makes them happy or cry or heal or excited or soothed… it’s a gift to see how it moves hearts and minds. It brings joy and that is very fulfilling to me. Not only do I have the pleasure of creating something from my heart, but it communicates beauty to viewers and that is powerful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.JenniferJLJones.com
• Instagram: @jenniferjljonesstudios
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/JenniferJLJones/
• Youtube: JenniferJLJonesStudios
• Other: My book on Blurb: www.blurb.com/b/2699459-serenata