Standing on one of the deer trails in the dunes at Lake Michigan, between storms the sun will
break through the dark skies, enormous waves crashing on the shore are suddenly
illuminated, seagulls are hunkered down and the wind is blowing so hard the sand stings as it
hits my face!
On another day, the water is nearly flat and the sunlight dances on the sandy bottom with the
sound of gentle lapping as the water hits the shore. On the drive home at the end of the day,
long shadows across the farmer’s fields echo the stratus clouds that grow more purple and
pink as the evening rolls in.
For a week or so every year the cherry orchards come into bloom. I relive the magic I felt
growing up with the cherry flowers all around me on my parent’s property. They shimmer in
the light and just as quickly they are gone too soon, fluttering to the ground like faeries
returning to the earth.
My challenge is, how do I put this on canvas?
As a painter my goal is to capture with paint specific moments in time on canvas.
Ideally that canvas will behave more like a doorway than simply an object on the wall.
My original training was in portraiture with a strong emphasis on traditional skills and
techniques sometimes referred to as academic training. The portrait work led to children’s
book and magazine illustration which I did for several years. During this time I was also
learning to paint “en plein air” taking my easel and paints out on location in all kinds of
weather. I found I loved the challenge! I think my background in figurative work really helped
my approach to the landscape, which has always been a kind of “portrait” of place and time.
Having learned what makes a person’s face uniquely theirs, I use those same observational
skills in the landscape.
The water in Michigan is another passion of mine. I’ve canoed and kayaked rivers and the
“big lake” as long as I can remember. I love reflections in the water and looking through
waves. I’m amazed how different it can look from one day to the next.
Patterns in water movement are something I find myself continually drawn to. Because of the
complexity of pattern and light, I am constantly discovering new ways of seeing and painting.
When I was in college I also worked as a hand decorator and gilder (gold leafer). My great
aunt, Rose Kozak, owned a furniture manufacturing company that specialized in hand
decorated French floral and chinoiserie (stylized Chinese scenery) furniture. I grew up around
a lot of different styles of art and one of my first art books was a collection of Hokusai’s views
of Mt Fuji. I find that the pictorial space in woodblock prints and chinoiserie inform the
“bones” of my water paintings.
I’ve been asked how I can work in so many different styles. I think that in the way some
people can speak in different languages, I speak in different visual languages. Ultimately I’m
always seeking to communicate what I see and feel. Sometimes this requires different
vocabularies.
I was born in Michigan and have lived here my entire life. I’ve had the good fortune to travel to
other states and countries, but I’m always happiest to come back home to , what to me is one
of the most beautiful and amazing places on the planet.
In the end, if I’ve achieved some truth, you will share in the experience too.
Debra Reid Jenkins
Education:
Kendall School Of Design 1973 - 1975 Illustration
Aquinas College 1975 - 1978, 1988, 1991 Painting, Printing and Art History
Publications, Shows and Awards:
2010 Between the Shining Seas ASMA exhibit, Wisconsin Maritime Museum,
Minnesota Marine Art Museum
2010 Elected Signature Member of ASMA (American Society of Marine Artists)
2010 International Artist Magazine Seascape Competition 3rd Place
1997 - 2010 Button Petter Gallery Solo and Group Exhibitions
2009 The Saugatuck Dunes, Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance
2007 - 2008 Listed in Who's Who In American Art
2001 Listed in Who's Who In America
1998 Portrait Inspirations Rockport Publishing
1998 Solo Exhibit Frederick Meijer Botanical Gardens
1996 Best Of Oil Painting Rockport Publishing
1995 American Artist Magazine Emerging Artist Award
1990 Pastel Portrait published in the Artists Magazine
1989 Finalist - Artists Magazine National Portrait Competition
1989 Elected Full Member of Pastel Society Of America P.S.A
Collections:
Muskegon Museum Of Art
Spectrum Hospital Helen DeVos Women And Children's Center
Steelcase Corporate Collection
Burke E. Porter
Armand Merizon
Grand Valley State University
Grand Rapids Community College
Spectrum Hospital Fred and Lena Meijer Heart Center
AmSouth Bank
RDV Corporation
Dick and Betsy DeVos
Gallery Representation:
Button Petter Gallery, Douglas Michigan
Synchronicity, Glen Arbor Michigan
Polonaise Art Gallery, Woodstock Vermont
break through the dark skies, enormous waves crashing on the shore are suddenly
illuminated, seagulls are hunkered down and the wind is blowing so hard the sand stings as it
hits my face!
On another day, the water is nearly flat and the sunlight dances on the sandy bottom with the
sound of gentle lapping as the water hits the shore. On the drive home at the end of the day,
long shadows across the farmer’s fields echo the stratus clouds that grow more purple and
pink as the evening rolls in.
For a week or so every year the cherry orchards come into bloom. I relive the magic I felt
growing up with the cherry flowers all around me on my parent’s property. They shimmer in
the light and just as quickly they are gone too soon, fluttering to the ground like faeries
returning to the earth.
My challenge is, how do I put this on canvas?
As a painter my goal is to capture with paint specific moments in time on canvas.
Ideally that canvas will behave more like a doorway than simply an object on the wall.
My original training was in portraiture with a strong emphasis on traditional skills and
techniques sometimes referred to as academic training. The portrait work led to children’s
book and magazine illustration which I did for several years. During this time I was also
learning to paint “en plein air” taking my easel and paints out on location in all kinds of
weather. I found I loved the challenge! I think my background in figurative work really helped
my approach to the landscape, which has always been a kind of “portrait” of place and time.
Having learned what makes a person’s face uniquely theirs, I use those same observational
skills in the landscape.
The water in Michigan is another passion of mine. I’ve canoed and kayaked rivers and the
“big lake” as long as I can remember. I love reflections in the water and looking through
waves. I’m amazed how different it can look from one day to the next.
Patterns in water movement are something I find myself continually drawn to. Because of the
complexity of pattern and light, I am constantly discovering new ways of seeing and painting.
When I was in college I also worked as a hand decorator and gilder (gold leafer). My great
aunt, Rose Kozak, owned a furniture manufacturing company that specialized in hand
decorated French floral and chinoiserie (stylized Chinese scenery) furniture. I grew up around
a lot of different styles of art and one of my first art books was a collection of Hokusai’s views
of Mt Fuji. I find that the pictorial space in woodblock prints and chinoiserie inform the
“bones” of my water paintings.
I’ve been asked how I can work in so many different styles. I think that in the way some
people can speak in different languages, I speak in different visual languages. Ultimately I’m
always seeking to communicate what I see and feel. Sometimes this requires different
vocabularies.
I was born in Michigan and have lived here my entire life. I’ve had the good fortune to travel to
other states and countries, but I’m always happiest to come back home to , what to me is one
of the most beautiful and amazing places on the planet.
In the end, if I’ve achieved some truth, you will share in the experience too.
Debra Reid Jenkins
Education:
Kendall School Of Design 1973 - 1975 Illustration
Aquinas College 1975 - 1978, 1988, 1991 Painting, Printing and Art History
Publications, Shows and Awards:
2010 Between the Shining Seas ASMA exhibit, Wisconsin Maritime Museum,
Minnesota Marine Art Museum
2010 Elected Signature Member of ASMA (American Society of Marine Artists)
2010 International Artist Magazine Seascape Competition 3rd Place
1997 - 2010 Button Petter Gallery Solo and Group Exhibitions
2009 The Saugatuck Dunes, Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance
2007 - 2008 Listed in Who's Who In American Art
2001 Listed in Who's Who In America
1998 Portrait Inspirations Rockport Publishing
1998 Solo Exhibit Frederick Meijer Botanical Gardens
1996 Best Of Oil Painting Rockport Publishing
1995 American Artist Magazine Emerging Artist Award
1990 Pastel Portrait published in the Artists Magazine
1989 Finalist - Artists Magazine National Portrait Competition
1989 Elected Full Member of Pastel Society Of America P.S.A
Collections:
Muskegon Museum Of Art
Spectrum Hospital Helen DeVos Women And Children's Center
Steelcase Corporate Collection
Burke E. Porter
Armand Merizon
Grand Valley State University
Grand Rapids Community College
Spectrum Hospital Fred and Lena Meijer Heart Center
AmSouth Bank
RDV Corporation
Dick and Betsy DeVos
Gallery Representation:
Button Petter Gallery, Douglas Michigan
Synchronicity, Glen Arbor Michigan
Polonaise Art Gallery, Woodstock Vermont
About the artist
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