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Jody Ahrens Art
https://www.jodyahrensartist.com
Studio/Gallery: by appointment
(970) 245-3487
[email protected]
Landscapes
Artists Statement
Edgy Impressionism best describes Jody’s colorful, bold landscapes. She is both a plein air and a studio painter who uses conventional brushes as well as scrapers, knives and other items to achieve her unique style. Her subject matter is inspired by a variety of remote back country locations. Most paintings start with a plein air painting that is polished and finished in the studio. Larger works are created in the studio using plein air paintings, field studies and photographs as reference.
Upon arriving at a location, Jody’s first question is, “what is the mood that attracted me to this spot on this day”. The mood dictates the values and colors of the painting. Next she uses a color wheel (even on location) to select specific harmonious colors for the mood, time of day, and season. After pre-mixing her colors with all the correct values, a quick line drawing is done to establish the composition. Then it is time to slip into a totally unstructured, creative mind set and let the painting evolve as it will.
Being an experimental artist, the most important part of Jody’s painting process is recognizing and being sensitive to each stroke as it is applied to the canvas. Interesting unplanned developments are preserved and enhanced. That means allowing the original composition morph into something new, different, unplanned and exciting.
Jody strives to create work that awakens peaceful, happy and harmonious feelings in the viewer. You will always find a tempting path to explore … an intriguing shady woods just across the meadow … or a quiet welcoming pond to wade in. When you are invited to make up your own story and participate in the creative process, your connection and enjoyment of the piece will grow over time.
Edgy Impressionism best describes Jody’s colorful, bold landscapes. She is both a plein air and a studio painter who uses conventional brushes as well as scrapers, knives and other items to achieve her unique style. Her subject matter is inspired by a variety of remote back country locations. Most paintings start with a plein air painting that is polished and finished in the studio. Larger works are created in the studio using plein air paintings, field studies and photographs as reference.
Upon arriving at a location, Jody’s first question is, “what is the mood that attracted me to this spot on this day”. The mood dictates the values and colors of the painting. Next she uses a color wheel (even on location) to select specific harmonious colors for the mood, time of day, and season. After pre-mixing her colors with all the correct values, a quick line drawing is done to establish the composition. Then it is time to slip into a totally unstructured, creative mind set and let the painting evolve as it will.
Being an experimental artist, the most important part of Jody’s painting process is recognizing and being sensitive to each stroke as it is applied to the canvas. Interesting unplanned developments are preserved and enhanced. That means allowing the original composition morph into something new, different, unplanned and exciting.
Jody strives to create work that awakens peaceful, happy and harmonious feelings in the viewer. You will always find a tempting path to explore … an intriguing shady woods just across the meadow … or a quiet welcoming pond to wade in. When you are invited to make up your own story and participate in the creative process, your connection and enjoyment of the piece will grow over time.
The New York Optimist Interview With Jody Ahrens
TNYO: Jody Ahrens, it is our great pleasure to have the opportunity to work with you and talk to you a little bit about your art and career's.
Your art is inspirational and calming, your landscapes in my opinion border between impressionism and sometimes lean towards hints of abstraction. Would this be correct in your opinion?
Jody Ahrens: Yes, I agree. It is difficult to decide which category fits my work, as it contains elements of all three … Expressionism, Impressionism and Abstraction. So … I call it Edgy Impressionism.
TNYO: What is your inspiration when creating art and what inspires you most in life?
Jody Ahrens: I find most artists love one aspect of the landscape or another … water, ocean, sky, moonlight, sunsets, city scenes, animals … and that is largely what they paint. My love is trees.
TNYO: Have you been creating art since childhood?
Jody Arenas: My parents were highly trained and accomplished Impressionists.
They gave me any and all the art supplies I wanted and tutored me on structure, composition, color theory.
As a child I worked with every medium the art supply stores offered … except oils. Too messy for a young child.
TNYO: What medium do you work in and why?
Jody Ahrens: I work exclusively in oil paint on panel. My dad introduced me to oils when I was a young adult, and it was instant love. The aromatic scent, the beautiful vibrant colors, the buttery feel and the way colors combined on the panel to make exciting nuances. I use panel instead of stretched canvas because it is a solid surface and is archival. Canvas has a boring texture, bounces back when paint is applied and is rated with a 10 year life … it is not archival.
TNYO: Where are you from originally, Jody and Where is your studio currently located?
Jody Ahrens: I grew up in Sierra Madre California a tiny town nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. We lived on a hill that overlooked the entire LA valley . My backyard was the rugged valleys, giant oak trees, thick brush and all the wild animals that thrived in the National Forest. I currently live in a geodesic dome earth shelter overlooking the Gunnison River in Grand Junction, Colorado. My studio is a 650 square foot loft over the garage dome. My prized piece of equipment is a Hughes Easel.
TNYO: In our discussions you mentioned that you worked in the film business as a career
and I find that extremely interesting. Can you tell us a little about your previous careers and what you're doing today outside of being an artist ?
Jody Ahrens: As a young adult I worked many jobs in the film industry, but my favorite was a PA (Production Assistant or Line Producer). Film making became a difficult option when our family moved to Colorado, so I switched to Marketing … for a ski area, then a bank, then the Visitors and Convention Bureau. Video was a bran new medium at that time, so my adult daughter and I opened a video production studio specializing in marketing videos for corporations and the government. Jobs took us all over the US, Canada, and Mexico.
TNYO: Is there anything that you might want to do in the future that may have not made it on your list of priorities?
Jody Ahrens: No, I pretty much live life to it’s fullest as I go.
TNYO: Lastly, can you offer us one of your favorite songs - maybe that you listen to when painting or you listen to for enjoyment?
Jody Ahrens: Electra, instrumentals only. Words in a song take a listener on the composer’s journey or emotional trip. Instrumentals provide a connection to our own, personal higher inspiration, which is what art is all about. Electra is my favorite. It is a combination of classical, hip-hop, jazz, industrial rock, heavy metal and electronic. Jingle Punk, The Glitch Mob,
The Vitamin String Quartet, Lindsey Stirling violinist and above all Hum.
TNYO: Jody Ahrens, it is our great pleasure to have the opportunity to work with you and talk to you a little bit about your art and career's.
Your art is inspirational and calming, your landscapes in my opinion border between impressionism and sometimes lean towards hints of abstraction. Would this be correct in your opinion?
Jody Ahrens: Yes, I agree. It is difficult to decide which category fits my work, as it contains elements of all three … Expressionism, Impressionism and Abstraction. So … I call it Edgy Impressionism.
TNYO: What is your inspiration when creating art and what inspires you most in life?
Jody Ahrens: I find most artists love one aspect of the landscape or another … water, ocean, sky, moonlight, sunsets, city scenes, animals … and that is largely what they paint. My love is trees.
TNYO: Have you been creating art since childhood?
Jody Arenas: My parents were highly trained and accomplished Impressionists.
They gave me any and all the art supplies I wanted and tutored me on structure, composition, color theory.
As a child I worked with every medium the art supply stores offered … except oils. Too messy for a young child.
TNYO: What medium do you work in and why?
Jody Ahrens: I work exclusively in oil paint on panel. My dad introduced me to oils when I was a young adult, and it was instant love. The aromatic scent, the beautiful vibrant colors, the buttery feel and the way colors combined on the panel to make exciting nuances. I use panel instead of stretched canvas because it is a solid surface and is archival. Canvas has a boring texture, bounces back when paint is applied and is rated with a 10 year life … it is not archival.
TNYO: Where are you from originally, Jody and Where is your studio currently located?
Jody Ahrens: I grew up in Sierra Madre California a tiny town nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. We lived on a hill that overlooked the entire LA valley . My backyard was the rugged valleys, giant oak trees, thick brush and all the wild animals that thrived in the National Forest. I currently live in a geodesic dome earth shelter overlooking the Gunnison River in Grand Junction, Colorado. My studio is a 650 square foot loft over the garage dome. My prized piece of equipment is a Hughes Easel.
TNYO: In our discussions you mentioned that you worked in the film business as a career
and I find that extremely interesting. Can you tell us a little about your previous careers and what you're doing today outside of being an artist ?
Jody Ahrens: As a young adult I worked many jobs in the film industry, but my favorite was a PA (Production Assistant or Line Producer). Film making became a difficult option when our family moved to Colorado, so I switched to Marketing … for a ski area, then a bank, then the Visitors and Convention Bureau. Video was a bran new medium at that time, so my adult daughter and I opened a video production studio specializing in marketing videos for corporations and the government. Jobs took us all over the US, Canada, and Mexico.
TNYO: Is there anything that you might want to do in the future that may have not made it on your list of priorities?
Jody Ahrens: No, I pretty much live life to it’s fullest as I go.
TNYO: Lastly, can you offer us one of your favorite songs - maybe that you listen to when painting or you listen to for enjoyment?
Jody Ahrens: Electra, instrumentals only. Words in a song take a listener on the composer’s journey or emotional trip. Instrumentals provide a connection to our own, personal higher inspiration, which is what art is all about. Electra is my favorite. It is a combination of classical, hip-hop, jazz, industrial rock, heavy metal and electronic. Jingle Punk, The Glitch Mob,
The Vitamin String Quartet, Lindsey Stirling violinist and above all Hum.
RESUME
EDUCATION
Jody has been immersed in art as long as she can remember. Although art was always an important part of her life, she didn't start thinking of it as a career until she was introduced to oils in her early 30's. Oils were the catalyst for her to attend art school, take private workshops, enter shows and seek gallery representation.
Cal Arts, Valencia, CA (formerly Chouinard School of the Arts)
Shasta College, Redding, CA
Private workshops: Jan Herring, TX; Earl Daniels, CA: Frank Love, CA; Majid Kahaak, CO: Ann Templeton, TX; Guido Frick, Germany.
GROUP/SOLO/JURIED EXHIBITIONS (Select Sampling)
Through the years, Jody's work consistently won a variety of awards, from Best of Show through 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.
Colorado Governor's Show - 2015 through 2018. Honorable Mention
Creative Capital Show - Denver International Airport and the Colorado State Capitol Building. 2009-2018.
Grand Junction City Hall - 2007, 2009, 2012.
Redlands Mesa Golf Club - annual show 2010 - 2014. 2018
Western Colorado Art Center - Over 20 years multiple shows each year, including Members Show, Brush & Palette Club, Annual Art Auction, Contemporary Exhibit, the Critique Show.
Gallery Solo Shows - Ratliff Fine Arts, Off the Wall, Westside Gallery, Terrace Gallery, Redding Museum
WORKSHOP INSTRUCTOR - ART SHOW JUDGE
Jody prefers to focus on her own painting but occasionally gives workshops, tutors private students and demo's for her galleries, art festivals, First Friday openings and art groups.
Adult education instructor: Shasta College, Redding Museum, 1986-87; Western Colorado Art Center - many workshops between 1985 and present. Coming in 2019; Veterans Art Center, Colorado Mesa University, Brush & Palette Club, Western Colorado Art Center.
Judge: Redding Painter's League, 1980; Altrusa Art Fair 2010; ArtSpace Invitational, 2012.
PUBLIC & CORPORATE COLLECTIONS (Select sampling)
Football Hall of Fame, Canton, OH
Shasta College, Redding, CA
U.S. Bank, Grand Junction, CO
Poma of France
Tillie Bishop, Colorado State Representative
Chet & Vernie Enstrom, Colorado State Senator
Augusta Construction
Hilgenfeld Construction
Big Nugget Ice Corporation
Elam Construction
Numerous accounting, law and medical offices
GALLERY AFFILIATIONS (Current)
Cobalt Fine Arts, Tubac, AZ
James Ratliff Fine Arts, Sedona, AZ
The Apple Shed Gallery, Cedaredge, CO
Xanadu on-line gallery / catalog, Scottsdale, AZ
PAST GALLERY AFFILIATIONS
Adagio Gallery, Palm Springs, CA
Sutter Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Terrace Gallery, Grand Junction, CO
Design Center, Hollywood, CA
Westside Gallery, Montrose, CO
Ouray Gallery, Ouray, CO
Redding Museum, Redding, CA
Canyonlands Gallery, Grand Junction, CO
Oakley Collective Gallery, Grand Junction, CO
Blue Pig Gallery, Palisade, CO
GALLERY OWNER
1978 - 1980 Jody co-owned and operated the Terrace Gallery in Grand Junction, CO with an artist partner. When we realized that owning a gallery means making a choice between being business people and painting, we closed it. First and foremost, we were both artists.
EDUCATION
Jody has been immersed in art as long as she can remember. Although art was always an important part of her life, she didn't start thinking of it as a career until she was introduced to oils in her early 30's. Oils were the catalyst for her to attend art school, take private workshops, enter shows and seek gallery representation.
Cal Arts, Valencia, CA (formerly Chouinard School of the Arts)
Shasta College, Redding, CA
Private workshops: Jan Herring, TX; Earl Daniels, CA: Frank Love, CA; Majid Kahaak, CO: Ann Templeton, TX; Guido Frick, Germany.
GROUP/SOLO/JURIED EXHIBITIONS (Select Sampling)
Through the years, Jody's work consistently won a variety of awards, from Best of Show through 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.
Colorado Governor's Show - 2015 through 2018. Honorable Mention
Creative Capital Show - Denver International Airport and the Colorado State Capitol Building. 2009-2018.
Grand Junction City Hall - 2007, 2009, 2012.
Redlands Mesa Golf Club - annual show 2010 - 2014. 2018
Western Colorado Art Center - Over 20 years multiple shows each year, including Members Show, Brush & Palette Club, Annual Art Auction, Contemporary Exhibit, the Critique Show.
Gallery Solo Shows - Ratliff Fine Arts, Off the Wall, Westside Gallery, Terrace Gallery, Redding Museum
WORKSHOP INSTRUCTOR - ART SHOW JUDGE
Jody prefers to focus on her own painting but occasionally gives workshops, tutors private students and demo's for her galleries, art festivals, First Friday openings and art groups.
Adult education instructor: Shasta College, Redding Museum, 1986-87; Western Colorado Art Center - many workshops between 1985 and present. Coming in 2019; Veterans Art Center, Colorado Mesa University, Brush & Palette Club, Western Colorado Art Center.
Judge: Redding Painter's League, 1980; Altrusa Art Fair 2010; ArtSpace Invitational, 2012.
PUBLIC & CORPORATE COLLECTIONS (Select sampling)
Football Hall of Fame, Canton, OH
Shasta College, Redding, CA
U.S. Bank, Grand Junction, CO
Poma of France
Tillie Bishop, Colorado State Representative
Chet & Vernie Enstrom, Colorado State Senator
Augusta Construction
Hilgenfeld Construction
Big Nugget Ice Corporation
Elam Construction
Numerous accounting, law and medical offices
GALLERY AFFILIATIONS (Current)
Cobalt Fine Arts, Tubac, AZ
James Ratliff Fine Arts, Sedona, AZ
The Apple Shed Gallery, Cedaredge, CO
Xanadu on-line gallery / catalog, Scottsdale, AZ
PAST GALLERY AFFILIATIONS
Adagio Gallery, Palm Springs, CA
Sutter Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Terrace Gallery, Grand Junction, CO
Design Center, Hollywood, CA
Westside Gallery, Montrose, CO
Ouray Gallery, Ouray, CO
Redding Museum, Redding, CA
Canyonlands Gallery, Grand Junction, CO
Oakley Collective Gallery, Grand Junction, CO
Blue Pig Gallery, Palisade, CO
GALLERY OWNER
1978 - 1980 Jody co-owned and operated the Terrace Gallery in Grand Junction, CO with an artist partner. When we realized that owning a gallery means making a choice between being business people and painting, we closed it. First and foremost, we were both artists.
