WAC
Jeni Bate, one of the featured artists from the inaugural WW Arts and Wine Festival, will be returning to Wrightwood for one weekend only, July 15th through July 17th.
Friday evening from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. join Jeni at the Wrightwood Arts Center for a meet and greet and viewing of her mixed media paintings, some of which will be for sale.
Saturday and Sunday, July 16th and 17th, Jeni will be teaching a class, “Painting for Absolute Beginners,” from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. at the Wrightwood Arts Center above the Village Grind, on Park St. The class isn’t just for beginners. It is for anyone wanting a refresher course and will cover the basics of how to paint. Contact Jeni directly at (310) 720-1552 to register. Teens through adults welcome. Class is $125 for both days.
Jeni’s artist statement from her website; skyscapesforthesoul.com:
“The aim with my artwork is to create joy in a world of stress. My emphasis is on the sky and the beauty that it can create at the edges of the day. Most people will enjoy a beautiful sunset, and those that rise early enough, a beautiful dawn. Whatever else is going on, we can all stop and look at the sunset for a few seconds, and think, “Wow, that is beautiful”; it is innate in us to feel this way.
These moments can take you away from that day you had, or need to face and into a calmer feeling. My work captures such moments and feelings, and bring them onto the canvas to be enjoyed for years.
Many viewers express a feeling of peace on viewing my skies, which tells me that I have succeeded in capturing the antidote to the stress of 21st century life. The sky is an artwork available to every sighted person on the planet, and appreciation of my views transcend age and culture.”
About the Artist
Jeni Bate works out of her studio in Salton City, California—though she grew up in Wales. As a child she enjoyed painting, but as a teenager brushes were set aside for left-brain activities resulting in a move to California in 1995.
In 2001, Bate had an opportunity to work on photography skills but soon had an epiphany: “Now, you have to paint!” The sky featured regularly in her early paintings, and gained ground as she found it to be one not only of personal fascination and variety but of universal appeal.
She started painting with watercolours, soon adding acrylics and oils. A series of errors gave her inspiration ultimately progressed into her signature refractured watercolour technique. After a few years, she was approached by quilters who likened her reorganized images to a technique called “refractured quilting”, so she reused the name.
Adjustments to her technique stretched to incorporating acrylic with refractured watercolour and optionally adding poetry, a creative force since the age of 7, written for and included in the painting.
Bate sells artwork at art fairs in southern and central California, Arizona and Nevada, and works with galleries in that area. She also has occasional solo shows at various locations. Her work is in private, public and corporate collections across 7 countries.
