Senior Art Exhibit 2006: Jenna Staples

I paint as a means of creatively interpreting the world around me. As life is so amazing, I know that if I do not make a conscious effort to process my experiences through my art, some of its beauty will pass me by. Through my work I aspire to give others a glimpse into my translation of life and hopefully inspire them to ponder their own.

I enjoy creating surprises and discovering hidden layers with my materials to add to and to develop what has been done before. I use a palette knife to lay down thick layers of oil paint, and then continue knocking out and building up the paint as I progress. The interaction of color is important in my work and I strive to create unique color harmonies to convey the subject matter and mood of the piece.

In this series of paintings my aim is to express a young girl's feelings of wonder and excitement about not only a balloon, but her future as well. By dividing the scene among several panels, I hope to illustrate her experience in stages, following her through the loops, turns and plateaus of her life until finally reaching the balloon at the top. In a way this is an interpretation of the personal experiences that have led me to this new stage in my life. As I look to what lies ahead of me as I leave Pepperdine, I will hopefully remember the beauty in life that has inspired me thus far.