Artist Reception: Jenn Feeney

Jenn Feeney is a Portland based printmaker and painter. She started her printmaking career in 2006 when she was introduced to monotype in a workshop. She knew right away she had found her medium. Having grown up around a commercial print shop that her parents owned and operated, she was very familiar with the smell of ink and loved the various printing papers. When she joined the working world, she first worked in corrugated, then in commercial printing and promotional products for over 20 years. You could say there is ink in her blood.

Jenn’s printmaking focus is monotype, also known as the painterly print. Using a piece of plexi as her plate, she applies the ink using brayers and brushes. She then manipulates the ink using solvent, rags and various tools. Her approach is intuitive, she never really has a plan but instead lets the ink colors she chooses to lay out and the tools around her inform the work. Her work has been described as organic and cellular and resembling underwater scenes, imaginary botanicals, unknown planets and microscopic views. Her paintings in acrylic have followed suit.

Jenn lives in Kenton, North Portland. She has been very active in the Portland art scene, participating in shows around town and Portland Open Studios on occasion. She is also a member of a printmaking collective called Under Pressure. When she’s not making art or attending art openings, she enjoys hiking in Forest Park and the Columbia River Gorge and enjoys photographing mushrooms, flowers and all the interesting things Mother Nature offers.

Note from Jenn:

"I am an abstract printmaker and painter living in Portland, Oregon. My work is abstract, but it often resembles cells, flowers, organic material or underwater, otherworldly, microscopic scapes. I am a hiker and find inspiration on the trails. Mushrooms, moss, tree bark, droplets on spider webs, the textures and colors of nature, all of it informs my work. Mother nature provides an abundance of inspiration. I enjoy the alchemy of the ink and solvent. While I can anticipate what will happen when the plate and paper travel through the press, I am often surprised and always thrilled when I peel back the paper for the reveal. I am always grateful and pleased when the joy of the process shows in my work and is recognized by others. "

(Take a sneak peak, her artwork is up now in the cafe!)