Jennifer Anderson

I grew up in a little town in Connecticut. I grew up loving the outdoors. I received a BFA at Piedmont College in Demorest, GA. Then I hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine with my now husband Kyle. I have lived in Minnesota since 2009 and love the parks and people! My husband and I continue to do little hikes and adventures.

Each of my works is a self portrait describing a part of me and my life. I explore and pull details from stories, people and the world around me, jotting down the different scenes and pulling on the emotions they hold. I use nature and the female figure to relay stories of human life as well as my own. I have a strong love for and connection to nature and all it has to offer. Because of this, nature appears in many of my works. Using places I visit and have lived, I draw my landscapes as an emotion and document a memory of how I felt looking at a certain mountain, lake, or scene. Life can be illustrated through the amazing earth, and the many life forms it can create and take away. Each living thing has a purpose and a place, and I draw from their life to create a connection or meaning with my own.

The use of the female figure is seen throughout my work. She is a narrator telling a story and a connection between the viewer and me, the artist. She is there to take on whatever role I feel she is meant to have or needs to portray. Her clothes and possessions are very important. They are descriptors that make her into someone specific. When she lacks clothes, it is done to make her have less of an identity. I depend on the female figure because as a woman it is how I connect to my work and add a part of me to the painting.