An artist’s journey is one of open expression. Jennifer Levine is continuing to push her artistic boundaries and find new ways to showcase her creative source. “Art and creating have been in my life ever since I can remember, thanks to my parents and some really amazing teachers throughout my formative years in school,” states Levine.

She has moved fluidly between artistic expressions. “Painting and writing are really speaking to me at this point in my life. I will always love my years as a glass blower (owner of Fire Power) and still carry that fire within, but painting is going back to my roots where I began, and it feels like I’m coming home again.” Levine’s focus now is on the intricacies of painting and providing the “written word” about her thoughts on the subject and where her inspiration has come from. By embedding a piece of poetry in every work, the true magic of her artistic spirit is evident.

Levine proclaimes, “I love color. I love line and form, where boundaries create shape. That interplay of color overlaying color… the engagement with words, giving the viewer a way to interpret my work and experiences along with their personal impressions of the piece… I just feel so connected to my whole voice of expression using this landscape of paint and word. There’s so much one can do in the nonobjective realm, so much open to interpretation and impact. Life is not black and white, nor shades of grey, it’s bursting with color. It’s a language in and of itself and I just love exploring every hue and nuance, be it visual or verbal. I live out loud; this collection of work expresses that as best I know how,”

A recent solo exhibition, “Solamente – A Journey Through Color & Words” at Denver’s historic Press Club was captivating. With a nearly sold-out show, her gumption for rallying the troops, so to speak, excited those who follow her on social media. As Levine expresses it, “The greatest reward is the connection. One of my favorite moments in life was when a man inquired about my work online and asked to see it in person. When he saw the piece, tears welled in his eyes. My bright colored canvas, completely nonobjective, had brought him back to his halcyon days of childhood and the rush of going to school on monorails in Canada.”

When asked what her philosophy was for work, family and life, she replied: 1. Work: Go big or go home!

2. Family: Honor thy father and mother and grandmother… and the family life gives you along the way.

3. Life: Do the best you can with what you know and what you have. And, most importantly, do not hold yourself accountable for the lessons you learned through an experience. It’s in having the experience that you learned the lesson in the first place. We can’t live backwards with the knowledge we gained going forwards.

“We all evolve in life in general. I have overarching life goals which are important and structured. But evolving, that’s an organic process I would never want to delineate or try to inhibit. Each piece is an exploration and excavation of a theme and/or color,” exclaims Levine and continues “I work through the piece, listen to what it’s trying to say until it’s done. I can’t worry about where I’m going or how good a painting is beyond feeling was though it’s said all it’s going to say, just have to take it a piece at a time. The best piece I ever make is the last piece I ever will make because each piece is a sum of all I’ve learned until that moment… and, I do love learning.”

While another day and exhibition live on the horizon, you can rest assured that Levine is continuing to create, expressing the hidden, awaiting audiences anew. ArtBeat looks forward to her next artistic adventure with anticipation. Thank you, Jennifer, for the opportunity to share your story. Learn more about Jennifer S. Levine, her art, journey and to view or purchase her art visit: https://www.facebook.com/ShopWeFancy or https://shopwefancy.com