Jenny
Artist Bio

Jenny Keith-Hughes was born in 1981 and grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Alberta, where she studied painting and sculpture. She has been making art as long as she can remember.

Jenny makes mostly acrylic paintings, some oil and some mixed media. Her latest exhibit Honey Lens is created with acrylic paint and beeswax on board. Her subject matter is usually animals and nature, and sometimes people or abstract. The paintings often have a reasonable degree of realism, but are also expressive and playful, usually displaying bold colours. She is interested in the relationship between humans and nature - both positive and negative.

She is drawn to nature as subject matter because she finds it fascinating and incredible. Jenny loves looking at intricate details like the suckers on octopus tentacles or the whiskers on catfish. Jenny believes these things are very important. This is filtered down from how important she thinks wildlife and the environment are on a global scale.

Jenny tries not to take herself too seriously and often doesn't like to explain the meaning behind her paintings because she wants the viewer to bring their own ideas and experiences to the painting and decide what it means to them. Sometimes there is a narrative element to the paintings, and sometimes the paintings are just about how fantastic these creatures are, and Jenny tries to present them in a unique way.

Jenny has traveled extensively and loves new experiences, which includes being influenced by animals and nature in foreign places. She is also very drawn to marine life and loves to observe aquatic animals whenever possible.

Jenny prefers to work on the large scale. She feels that she can achieve a greater visual impact with large paintings. The large scale also allows her to use the large brush strokes, expressive line and vibrant colours that are intrinsic to her style.

Her latest exhibit Honey Lens is comprised of twenty-four large acrylic and beeswax paintings. The beeswax is a new medium for Jenny and she is enjoying exploring its properties of layering and texture. She also enjoys the warmth and natural feel, as well as the honey scent of the wax. The subject matter of this new work is largely animals and nature, with many abstract pieces inspired by microscopic images of plants and animals.

Curriculum Vitae

Education

1999-2003 Bachelor of Fine Arts (with distinction) from the University of Alberta, focusing on painting and sculpture

Exhibitions

April 2002 - Hip Salon, Edmonton

April 2003 - FAB Gallery, U of A Grad Show, Edmonton

August 2003 - Remedy Café, Edmonton

September 2003 to March 2004 - Blyss Décor, Edmonton

December 2003 - Hip Salon, Edmonton

February 2004 - "Piranha-Banana-Rama" - solo exhibition, Remedy Café, Edmonton

March 2004 - Your Apartment, Edmonton

August 2004 - Mido-pa Gallery - solo exhibition, Namchang, South Korea

December 2005 - Listen Records, Edmonton

February 2006 - "Senile Felines" - solo exhibition, Remedy Café, Edmonton

September 2006 - Hip Salon, Edmonton

September 2006 - "CORTEX" - multidisciplinary event, group exhibition, Red Strap Art Market, Edmonton

December 2006 - "Recurrent and Tender" - solo exhibition, Red Strap Art Market, Edmonton

January 2007 - "Form vs. Content" Mile Zero Dance, Salon Series, Edmonton

February 2007 - "Greedy Beasts" - solo exhibition, Remedy Café, Edmonton

June/July 2007 - "The Works" - art and design festival, Winston Churchill Square, Edmonton

August 2007 - "Be: Hive" - exhibition with Sydney Lancaster, Cafe Select, Edmonton

September 2007 - "CORTEX" - multidisciplinary event, group exhibition, Latitude 53 Gallery, Edmonton

September 2007 - "Arty Party" - group exhibition, Bohemia, Edmonton

Articles

"Pet Sights" - By Amy Fung, See Magazine Dec 14 - Dec 20, 2006. No. 681