Artist Statement  - Engram

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My work has long dealt with the ephemeral. Taking into account the vulnerable delicate nature of the life while gently asserting the persistence of memory. In this recent body of work, I am extending this emphasis in a new direction through the selection of materials and process.

 

Intricate lace and repeating patterns are cut into discarded reproductions of paintings. The “original” image is shattered and a new image is generated across the delicate remainders of paper and color.  The passage of light through the image allows shadows to become an integral part of the work and marries the work to the gallery wall as it moves away from the static. The labor-intensive process of hand cutting these images, not only grants the “original” reproduction with a new meaning visually and in form, but also a new sense of the artist hand. 

 

A tension of meaning and materials as well as time exists in this work. The discarded is reincarnated. A new meaning and concept of beauty are superimposed on a previous one.  The remainder functions individually and to remind us of the past as well, like a persistent memory and questions what is original? 

 

 

Biography

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Labor-intensive obsessions fill Jennifer D. Anderson’s studio practice. She meticulously cuts paper, wood and metal to create work that reflects on life’s vulnerable nature with a gentle assertion of memory. These pieces have been exhibited in venues across the United States and abroad as well as in publications as diverse as Tricycle and The Carolina Quarterly. Upcoming exhibitions of her work include the (e)merge art fair and solo exhibitions at Bradley University and Whittier College. Anderson is also an educator who has worked with institutions such as the J. Paul Getty Museum.  Presently she teaches studio art at Hollins University. She is past president of the Los Angeles Printmaking Society and Vice President of External Affairs for SGCI. Her essay “Print University” was published in Proof: the Rise of Printmaking in Southern California.