ARTIST STATEMENT | JENNIFER HOLSTROM
I’ve been an artist my entire life and pursued graphic design as a way of making a living while staying in a creative field. I began painting seriously in 2008.
As a creative person, a traumatized human, and a woman in our society, I have a fire inside me to break out of feeling oppressed, hidden, and silenced. I have an innate desire to express myself and my feelings through my artwork—and expressing oneself in authenticity is a scary concept.
I have been playing with the portrayal of people, specifically women, as beautiful, enigmatic and elegant- while also being multi-faceted, gorgeously human messes.
In our society, women are held to a ridiculous standard of perfection, but we are still just humans, coiffed, with lipstick, jewelry, to-do lists, and plowing through a bag of chips.
My desire is to connect with those who can look at a person, or themselves, and see ALL the different facets. I’m calling out the juxtapositions of truths and facades that are inherent in our existence.
As a professional graphic designer by day, painting offers me a release from the structure of purpose- and monetary-driven design. Painting offers me a license to create the things I want to see in the world, and to shine a light on the issues that I feel need more consideration and discussion.