Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenni Romero.
Hi Jenni, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I was introduced to art at a very young age by a great-grandmother who was an artist in many ways. She taught me to needlepoint, crochet, make ornaments and dry flowers, as well as paint. So I guess you could say it’s in my blood.
My father is also a self-taught art dealer, buying pieces at second-hand stores and garage sales and reselling them to art collectors and galleries. There was always art you know, just hanging around. As high school came, I was fortunate to be able to explore different mediums and styles in class. I loved Patrick Nagle and painted many similar portraits in that likeness, as well as a love for the southwest landscape and its beauty. During a year in school, I also had a painted fish collage piece exhibited at the Springville art museum.
After high school, I moved away to work as a nanny and found myself near New York and DC taking in as many of the museums as I could, but life getting in the way I never really went back to painting until my husband and I moved to Taos New Mexico where I was surrounded by tons of great art like Georgia Okeeffe’s and major western art history. It was there I turned one of the empty bedrooms into a studio after the kids moved out, dabbling in abstract and finally selling some work.
Then all of a sudden I found myself moving back to Utah to be near family and that’s when I decided to take this art journey more seriously. I quit my full-time job and took on a part-time position so that I can be in my studio, which is now located at the Tooele Marketplace. I am doing a myriad of subjects from florals to collages, to abstract landscapes. Drawing inspiration from my beautiful memories of my past and present-day southwest surroundings.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Art has always come naturally to me, it’s always been my refuge and I always knew I could turn to it at any point but life sometimes got in the way. There were times I didn’t think I would ever reach my dream of painting full-time and in my own studio space but I never gave up!
The biggest struggle I have had is being a self-taught artist has not given me the formal education that would have equipped me with the tools to navigate the business side of making art as a living. I continue to learn and educate myself in this area.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My curiosity about painting has taken me in several different directions. I started with more of a form of realism working on florals and landscapes in the past several years, but I have recently been drawn into more of an abstract direction.
Some landscapes and some collages and monochrome. My favorite medium is mixed working on paper. Acrylic and ink are really fascinating in how they work together and give a sense of depth and interest in the subject.
I’m hoping to do more abstracts based on the landscapes around me here in Utah this summer, especially from the beauty and colors of the Capital Reef area where I spent a lot of time at the home of my grandparents as a kid. I love the spacious sky and the contrast of the red reefs against the green piñon trees.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
To continue to be disciplined and dedicated. Being un reluctant to try new ideas and processes, while looking at my art and its evolution with an open mind. The journey is what is fun and interesting to me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @Studio_b._art
- Facebook: Jenni Georganne Romero
