Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jenifer Livesey. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jenifer, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

When I was a kid I remember sitting down and being absolutely in love with art. Drawing, coloring, painting you name it I really wanted to do it. After a frustrating experience in high school art I moved away from all of it until I had my little girl 15 years later. She was about three years old and was very much into anything art related and I saw a little of myself in her. One day in November of 2018 I sat down at the table to paint with her as a bonding experience. I had no idea what to do or what to paint but I did it and I found myself again. I was in love. Now the silly little reindeer painting was pitiful but it still lit a spark inside of me and from then on I couldn’t get enough.

Jenifer, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a self taught artist creating contemporary stacked rock, cairn, collages as a symbol of balance, guidance and unity. I draw my inspiration from the simplicity of nature while not feeling obliged to represent nature realistically which gives me the freedom to experiment with form, design and color. Using a combination of hand painted, magazine and other various papers I like to blend contemporary aspects of modern life with the simple beauty of the natural world in my pieces.

Breaking cairns down we see the stones are in a delicate balance with each other. If one stone is out of place the entire structure will collapse. I want my viewer to contemplate the balanced relationship we must have not only within our own lives but also with mother nature. In my pieces I create multiple pieces that must cohesively work with one another as a single unit. Each rock must balance with the others to create a cohesive design. The simplicity of one stone compliments the complexity of another.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Yes there is. My collages are stacked rocks which, if you’ve ever created one, must be in perfect balance with one another in order to create a uniform stack which has served many purposes through many, many years. My desires is to engage my viewers to consider living in balance, not just within ourselves, but also with one another as well as Mother Nature herself.

Additionally, in my pieces I am creating multiple paintings that must cohesively work with one another as a single unit. Each rock is its own individual and varies in complexity but each balance with the others to create a cohesive design. Sometimes the simplicity of one stone compliments the complexity of another. In turn I find this very representative of mankind. All beautiful, unique and created individually but must work together as a whole for a higher good.

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

When I was in high school I was thrilled to be able to take high school art. It was only offered one year but I had waited for this moment for a long time. One day, when drawing still life, I was feeling good about what I had drawn. I knew it wasn’t perfect but I was happy with it. I engaged my instructor to talk about my piece and discuss details. It was then I was told by her that “maybe art wasn’t my thing”. To say I was crushed was an understatement. That was the point where I put it all aside and believed her. Maybe it wasn’t my thing.

It wasn’t until over 15 years later that I discovered that yes, still life and realism aren’t my strong suit BUT what I did realize is that I am good in other areas of art. I wish that 16 year old me had realized there are various aspects to art and to not take one persons opinion as gold. I have come to realize that there are no rules in art and that it is simply an expression of ones self.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jlartgallery.com
• Instagram: jlartgallery