Art

Item Description

30x40 inch, Acrylic and Mixed Mediums on Stretched Canvas

Artist: Joshua Jenkins

The final price for this painting will be MATCHED, thereboy doubling your donation for impactful cancer research at Children's Research Institute in Dallas. 

Artist Statement and CV:

"I was raised in a very traditional and socially narrow home­school environment in Upstate New York, where my childhood was generally isolated: I was sheltered from the arts and much else. My summers, however, were spent with my father on some rural acreage outside of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and it was here that, thrust into a new world as a freshman in highschool, I first stepped foot in an actual art class.

It was here that I was first introduced to the works and periods of Pablo Picasso, which I voraciously consumed. I was incredibly inspired by Picasso ... his ever­evolving style, his willingness to push boundaries, his ability to defy the traditional forms and styles of his era. The sheer volume of his body of work was also impressive—the vast collection of his paintings, each an inspiring testimonial to his vision and life experiences.

Naturally, the more I've studied fine arts the more I've discovered other, lesser­known artists that have had an even greater influence over my work, more specifically in terms of style. Expressionist artists like de Kooning and Basquiat are particular examples. The act of painting solely on expression and intuitive impulse was fascinating to me, something I found very intriguing and chose to pursue. I've always wanted to find a way to express myself through paint like a poet does though words, and painting provided a more comfortable vocabulary for me. I was recognized for my ability to convey emotion in a way I never could through the written word, a discovery that overwhelmed me with hope: I could use my paintings as a satisfactory way of expressing myself and reaching out to others.

My art became more expressive, and I found myself painting as I would if I were writing a diary. My paintings began to form a public­facing visual catalog of my experiences and emotions and an endless source of self expression; as such, the majority of my work has been influenced by life experiences, observations and reactions.

More recently, the specific ascetic of my art has evolved with my physical relocations. Having lived in inner­city Philadelphia for half a year after college, the intricate web of graffiti and urban decay has had a huge impact on my more recent works. Something about the grit and texture of decaying buildings became heavily present in the way I created my art. Every day I walked the streets of Philly I was inspired, and my work reflects this. I began experimenting with raw and almost primitive elements on the canvas, as if the piece was being created on the street—and then bringing it onto a canvas. The irony of course is that this can be introduced into the viewer's home—a keyhole peek at urban decay and social commentary, neatly framed on the wall of a residence—an artifact from my life and my observations that is honest, raw and personal.

My paintings almost always start from a simple sketch of an idea, scenario or memory. I have drawn all my life, so to start a painting with a simple outline is the natural beginning of any painting of mine. From there I have learned to let my impulses take over and let my emotions take over. I try to go subconscious, to lose myself in the painting.

Layering and process is very present in all of my works. My layering adds texture and depth, which I feel makes the piece more visually interesting and more expressive. I try not to cover up any mistakes during the process of creating a piece, because I feel that the creative process should be embedded in the work. There are never any mistakes in art when you're not creating art for the sake of illusion. I simply want to remind the viewer that what they are looking at is the sum of many parts: the sketches, the paint itself, the mixed mediums and the canvas, all overlaying the emotion of a human being who is as imperfect as the final piece.

I generally finish a painting with thick lines of charcoal over the sketch lines, a traditional sealing at the end of the individual piece that incorporates the message "there is no end without going back to the beginning." By incorporating prominent lines in my works, I create a signature style. Just as everyone has different written signatures, so must everyone's line work be unique. I ask the viewer to see my individuality through my lines, my vocal chords; they are my voice throughout my paintings.

I learned to make my work through observation and a repetitive process. The more I paint, the more I learn from the experience; the more I observe, the more inspiration I gain.

I studied at Marist University under some talented art teachers who influenced my thinking on this process. I feel, however, that art can never be taught, only guided. Having a talented teacher is like having a good guide, showing optional paths in one's own thinking as the initial process unfolds. This is what my schooling taught me. But what I had also learned is that art is born from underlying rules and understanding that impact my observations and visual expressions. To be trained is only valuable through the lens of un­training, so I, like every artist, can explore my own style and challenge the definition of what "good" art looks like.

My most valuable lesson is to never question my initial impulses. I feel that some artists are slaves to the initial training of art and forget that art comes from within. We all learn how to draw basic shapes. Through these shapes we then learn to create figures and landscapes. But the more we learn certain skills, the more we become comfortable in specific ways of doing things, which can become repetitive and unoriginal. The purpose of the journey is to stop questioning yourself and embrace your natural impulses—to accept them as the core of what makes your mark original and compelling.

Learning is something I feel am always doing. I strive to challenge myself in my works, one after the next, as I strive to break out of my comfort zones and learn new ways of self expression. This is my motivation. It keeps me pushing myself in every new painting: new influences, new challenges, new works, new reactions."

Curriculum Vitae

November 2014 “(Title TBA)”, Solo Exhibition, Regalo Gift's 4th St Gallery Loft, Louisville, KY 2014 "Slave to Impulse", Solo Exhibition, Tim Faulkner Gallery, Louisville, KY
2013 Solo Exhibition, Sunergos Coffee, Louisville, KY
2013 Solo Exhibition, "From the Studio", The Gallery at La Bodega, Louisville, KY
2013 Solo Exhibition, "New Works by Joshua Jenkins", Regalo Gift's 4th St Gallery Loft, Louisville, KY
2013 Solo Exhibition, Mouton, 954 N. High Street, Columbus, OH
2013 Solo Exhibition, "Ascertainment", Regalo Gift's 4th St Gallery Loft, Louisville, KY 2012 Solo Exhibition, "Portraits of Expression", The Gallery at Tech Gallery, Syracuse, NY 2012 Solo Exhibition, Magnolia Photo Booth Co., Louisville, KY
2012 Group Exhibit, "Urban Art Show", Mellwood Art Center in Louisville, KY
2012 Collaboration, "Espacio Panamá" Collective Investigation Show. Soul Performace, Espacio Panama, Casco Viejo, Panama City.
2011 Group Exhibition, "Open Apple Steve / Memoriam: an aesthetic homage to Steve Jobs", The Tech Garden, Syracuse, NY
2010 Collaboration, "Mood Watcher(s)", Meld, Pink Hair Affair, Philadelphia, PA
2010 Group Exhibition, “ (in) case” , (r) evolution art studio, Syracuse, NY
2009 Solo Exhibition, Floor One Gallery, Beacon, NY
2008 Duo Exhibition, Zuzu's Leaf & Bean, Beacon, NY
2008 Group Exhibition, "Landing", Muddy Cup Coffe House, Poughkeepsie, NY
2007­2010 Annual Student Exhibition, Marist College Gallery, Poughkeepsie, NY

Accomplishments
2014 Participated in the LVAA Open Studio Tour, Louisville, KY
2014 Selected volunteer artist for VSA Art’s Side by Side Program, Louisville, KY
2014 Selected live painter for the Fund for the Arts event at the Brown Theatre, Louisville KY 2013 Featured in Canyon Voices Literary Magazine, Issue 8, Fall 2013
2013 Selected Judge (on a jury) for Congressman Yarmuth's Art Competition, Louisville, KY 2013 Commissioned for a Public Mural at Nowhere Bar, Louisville, KY
2013 Interviewed for Online Blog: Graphic Echo
2012 Interviewed for The Community Letter
2012 Work showed in "Art Show Scene" for the movie "Adult World" (Directed by Scott Coffey.) Scene filmed in March, 2012, Syracuse, NY
2010 Interviewed for "New School, a moving portrait of Hudson Valley Artists", an independent film by Ty Marshal premiered at Dia: Beacon Museum in upstate New York