Jenn Clemons

Artist Statement

I am interested in how time unfolds in subtle, often imperceptible ways, and how natural variation and humanity's presence are recorded in the landscape. I see trees as visual representations of memory. My work explores movement and connection; the structure and texture of trees hold stories shaped by time. I draw the forms from collected photographs and sketches I have taken and created on site. The surrounding landscape is stripped away to reveal the bare figure of the tree.

I work in multiple layers with graphite on gessoed birch wood panels, covered in a thin layer of pigmented walnut oil. The oil allows the graphite to become fluid. I carve out shapes in graphite and wipe away negative space and highlights with a rag. I build details and value variation using graphite, pastels, and thin layers of water-soluble oil paint.

Through this process of building the image, I explore various ways to convey my impression of these forms, focusing on the juxtaposition of fragility and resilience in the natural world, and the imperceptible growth and change shaped by the elements over time.