Interview
Jen Sterling
Jen Sterling was born in Wisconsin and grew up in Northern Virginia. A graduate of George Washington University, she holds a BA in visual communications, with a minor in psychology.
Jen has been creative all of her life. However, she started her career journey on the commercial side of art. She was an entrepreneur in design and branding for 30 years and founded three creative agencies. Jen sold her last company and now focuses on her fine art.
Friends describe her as vibrant, passionate, and creative; those words apply to her art as well. Creating work that is fluid, that inspires energy and excitement, vitality and confidence: this gives Jen the greatest artistic satisfaction.
Jen maintains a love of business and is an active mentor for emerging businesses. She is also passionate about community service and has served on numerous non-profit boards. Jen lives with her husband and daughter in Annapolis, Maryland.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I’ve always loved art, but I’ve not always had a good relationship with it. In my younger years, it was purely an exercise in creation. Some good fun, and some frustration when I felt I couldn't get it ‘right’.
As I moved into my professional years, I focused on commercial design and branding, since I was afraid of being the proverbial ‘starving artist’. I went for the regular paycheck and the art that came with rules. I found ways to be creative within the boundaries, and a few ways that pushed them.
But in the long run, I leaned more towards the ‘art’ of entrepreneurship over design. I wanted more freedom to be creative and crush the boring. After 30 years, I decided it was time to go back to my more purely creative roots and take my fine art full-time. So I sold my branding firm and started down the road of fine art. I have never looked back.”
“Painting is not for everyone, but each person has their own tool to create with — their cooking, their singing, their business, their family...
Life is not meant to be experienced from the sidelines. Live it in full color!”
What inspires you?
“The perfect shade of red - that is what inspires me. And the list continues: the coral of a southwestern sunset. The giggle of a baby. The majesty of a bald eagle in flight. The elegance of Japanese package design. The simple perfection of a Pentagram Design logo. The color and depth of my daughter's eyes. The enthusiasm of a new puppy. The flow of well-draped fabric. The flicker of light and color in labradorite. The messy energy of a Jasper Johns abstract. The delicacy of a hummingbird. The design elegance of a Jony Ive Apple product. The power of a story well-told. The smell of a campfire and fresh-cut grass. The crisp light reflecting off of fresh snow.
The list is endless… I find inspiration everywhere.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“My work is intended to excite and inspire people to do more and be more — to take that crazy step into entrepreneurship, write that book, take that trip, be more present, pursue those dreams. I want others to feel the excitement that I feel when I create.
My friends describe me as vibrant, passionate, and creative, and all these words apply to my art as well. I get the greatest artistic satisfaction from creating work that is fluid, that inspires energy, excitement, vitality and confidence.”
How would you describe your work?
“My work is bold, colorful, powerful, energetic, and unapologetic. I do not paint to soothe or calm. I want to incite a reaction. Inspire action. I want to leave an imprint on the person viewing my work that sticks with them throughout their day.”
Which artists influence you most?
“It’s so hard to narrow it down! I love so many different kinds of art and craft, and each can inspire me in different ways. I may be triggered by a Gustav Klimt piece one day and a Jasper Johns the next. Or perhaps the geometry of a Frank Lloyd Wright building has me itching to explore a more structured design. A multimedia sculpture could send ideas spinning in my head, and a piece of art nouveau jewelry makes me itch to feel the swirls. For me, they are all raw sources of beauty, intrigue, and inspiration.”
What is your creative process like?
“For me, a blank canvas can cause paralysis. I need to make a mark, a scribble, or splash some old paint water on it — anything to mar the pristine surface and give me something to react to. It then becomes a conversation, or heated argument, between me and the canvas. This goes on until I feel the piece is finished. Some pieces flow forth in a matter of hours. Other times, I turn the canvas to the wall and put it in ‘timeout’. Then I revisit it later, and suddenly the resolution is clear to me.
In other cases, I can come to the studio with a clear image in my head of what I want to create, and it pours from me with a manic energy. Invariably, those are the days I go home absolutely covered in paint from head to toe because I got so into the flow of my work.
I work primarily with acrylic paint and mixed media such as paper, fabric, wood, and plastic. I use brushes, palette knives, my fingers…whatever is at hand.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“Artists entertain, inspire, document, incite change, and in the most basic sense, decorate. Each chooses where they wish to focus their efforts.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“This is a list of my awards and solo exhibitions:
Awards:
2021 - MFA Designer's Choice.
- Overlea Arts Festival - First Place in Abstract Art.
2020 - International Artist Grand Prize in Abstract Art.
Solo Shows:
2022 - Showplace Arena.
2021 - Quiet Waters Gallery.
2019 - AAPP @ City Hall.
2018 - DCLA Arts.”
