Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna Foster.
Jenna, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Hi, I’m Jenna. I’m going to start by saying that I’m a busy person. Not that I’m always busy, but that I’ve always had a seemingly inherent drive to be constantly doing something. I grew up in a small but wonderfully diverse town of McGregor, Texas. As a teenager, I began focusing that energy into creative projects — namely making art, under the guidance of Lisa Millard, my force-of-nature high school art teacher. I dubbed art my “calling,” and the rest is history!
So this is my story in a nutshell: I completed my BFA degree at Southwestern University with a focus in painting and printmaking, with minors in art history and feminist studies. After graduating, I moved to Austin and continued to make and sell art, occasionally collaborating with local printmakers such as Satch Grimley and other artists. Concerned that I would lose my grip on reality (at least what little I thought I had) by being alone in my studio all the time, I also took a job at a local print shop. It was here — engaging daily with the work of local artists and architects — that I found a love for design, photography and the nitty-gritty of production work. I started accepting freelance work of all kinds from my contacts at the print shop and taught myself to use industry software. Fast forward a couple years, and I found myself accepting a job at McGarrah Jessee, an advertising agency with incredible work and high ethics, as a production artist. At present, my role has become that of lifestyle/product photography and retouching, which I find so creatively fulfilling.
Remarkably, finding a career that partners creativity with routine, where I get to collaborate with other creative professionals on a daily basis, has strengthened my belief in the power of visual expression and also took off some of the pressure I carried with me out of art school. I’m always juggling a few projects at once, across different mediums — because making art has always been my priority. I always hope that the things I make will resonate with others on some level and that I can inspire others to pursue their creative visions.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do? Why? And what do you hope others will take away from your work?
When it comes to visual art, generally a certain style does permeate all of my work — I’m heavily influenced by the woodcut aesthetic: stark, precise linework and cross-hatch shading. I prefer to draw in ink but also love digital illustration. I’m most strongly influenced by illustrators like James Jean, painters like Wayne Thiebaud, and printmakers like Valerie Lueth of the collective at Tug Boat Print Shop. In my paintings, I really embrace the use of color. Mostly, I try to give new life to old things through creative visual interpretation and help people see commonplace objects and scenarios in a fun, new light.
Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
While there are many issues facing artists today that are all of great importance, social media comes to mind for me, first. Social media is a brand new phenomenon in the human experience, and I think that we can’t possibly know the extent of influence given its sudden force of impact. On the one hand, increased exposure, information exchange, and massive amounts of inspiration (for instance, seeing other artists’ process) are beneficial tools for artists today. On the other hand, the need for constant approval, the dopamine release reward system from scrolling, and generally ego-centric nature of it all can be distracting at best. I don’t want to speculate too much, but I think it’s important to remain aware of these new forces in our experiences of art-making and try to maintain a healthy relationship with it all, and that balance will look different for everyone.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
Photography and design: www.jennalynnefoster.com
Paintings and prints: www.jennalynnefoster.weebly.com
Social Media: I’m illustrating the entire collection of AKC recognized dog breeds as a way of challenging myself with a long-reaching project with a cohesive theme. This series can be followed as it develops on Instagram @all_the_pretty_dogs.
Interested in booking a shoot or commissioning an illustration? Email jennalynnefoster@gmail.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jennalynnefoster.com
- Email: jennalynnefoster@gmail.com
- Instagram: @all_the_pretty_dogs
- Other: www.jennalynnefoster.weebly.com
Image Credit:
Model: Serena Kristiana Teakell-Rigby
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