Today we’d like to introduce you to Ava Jenkins.
Hi Ava, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in a very artistic family. Trips to the museum were often, and creativity was encouraged. Many of my early childhood memories consist of drawing and painting my favorite subject: people. However, my childhood also consisted of many science fiction movies and comic books, and I became far more interested in astronomy as a career for a long time before I decided on art. I loved the concept of the unknown and I wanted to find it. It was not until after I graduated high school that I recognized the passion I had for drawing had not diminished (although my tolerance for math had), and I decided to make art the focus of my life. My love for space and the unknown translates well to the complex art of portraiture.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Deciding on pursuing art was the easy part, as it has always felt like a no-brainer; it’s a part of my core being. However, I have yet to find my true artist identity in my work. Almost as soon as I decided to pursue art as a career, I began taking commissions. While I love the commissions I make for people, I believe it hindered my creative freedom. Once I started art school, I had even less time to make art purely for myself. Now that I finally have time, I have been struggling to realize who I am as an artist under the layers of making art for someone else. However, I am thoroughly enjoying the journey of my artistic self-discovery and I use it as a subject in some of my paintings.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Although I have two daily jobs for my primary income, a big part of my life is taking commissions for people. I started out making portraits for my coworkers’ friends and families, but it has become a small business of mine. I do a variety of subjects, including tattoo designs, but my specialty is watercolor or oil portraits of people. People have always been my favorite subject to capture, and it makes it even better when I can bring someone joy by doing so. My goal with each portrait is to capture that person’s essence, even though my artistic style is not exactly realism. I like to saturate my colors a lot, and I find that it brings life to a two-dimensional artwork. Outside of taking commissions, I still focus on exploring the human figure, but in a more surreal setting. I am fascinated by sleep and dreams, and much of my personal work explores the vast expanse of the human mind.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Taking risks is the only way I am who I am today as an artist. It’s easy to be afraid to add a bold color or a specific stroke to an artwork when it can either ruin the piece or make it better. I learned early on that it’s usually the latter, and I have improved my skills significantly for it. For example, when I first learned how to paint people (with any medium), it was hard to believe that blue is often used while painting the skin. However, it adds a depth and vibrancy to the skin tone that would be hard to create with just neutral colors. If I take a risk and it doesn’t work out, then it’s easy to fix it or move on to the next challenge. My most recent risk I took on was exploring a more abstract and non-objective approach to painting. I have always favored representational art, but I was experiencing a difficult creative block. I took a leap and decided to depict my creative block exactly as it felt in my head, which resulted in a freeing new experience with abstract techniques.
Pricing:
- Portraits – starting at $30
- Prints – $15
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @artbooga
