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Jenni's exhibition in November at the Al Madina Art Gallery,
Oman, opened on Tuesday 7th November. The work was warmly received and 5
paintings sold on the first night. It ran until the 23rd November. The majority of the
work was from her 'Universal Dance of Life' collection, but there were some camels
on the first floor.
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Soaring Dancers in Poured Paint |
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_ By Dr
Patricia Groves _ |
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Jenni
Eden’s new exhibition, The Universal Dance of Life, features semi-abstract
dancers in exultation. Resonating with energy and motion, the dancing
figures represent rare moments in life when we are bursting with joy and
feel we could fly
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Unify
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Jenni
Eden is well-known locally for her portraits of people in colours that match
their personalities. If Jenni were to paint your face, it might be in shades
of blue, or purple, or even green; and, strange as this may seem, these
portraits work, conveying both mood and character through the bold use of
colour.
Jenni’s portraits are rendered in a pop art style reminiscent in a way of
Andy Warhol’s famous silk screens of media icons. She could work full-time
on commissions for this style of portraiture; but, over the past year, Jenni
has ventured off in an entirely different direction.
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Not surprisingly,
Jenni’s earliest childhood dream was of being a dancer. Over time, a visual
and emotional structure grew around this dream, which has become the
defining element in what Jenni knows to be herself. Now she is able to
express this dream-structure in a simple philosophy which underlies the
present character of her painting.
“There is so much in life that we miss out on because we feel we have to
concentrate on our jobs and on getting ahead in life. The essence of what is
really important in life is the experience of joy that can come from
invisible strands of energy that surround us in the universe, like spinning
ribbons. If you tap into that energy, you can achieve a state of joy that
fuels your being. I am madly passionate about this idea.”
Putting the Idea into Paint
It would seem a daunting task for Jenni to translate this intangible notion
into painting; and, in fact, it has taken several years for a concept to
emerge. “I have long wanted to put music, song and dance into a new genre of
painting. Finally, over the past little while, images began to come in fits
and starts — and then in bursts…of dancers exultant in whirls of energy. I
knew I had to paint them in a loose, fluid, inspirational way — and in the
primal colours I imagine to be the essence of the universe”.
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For one series of
paintings, which were conceived as light in hue, Jenni lays the stretched
canvas on the floor and pours a great quantity of white acrylic paint on the
horizontal canvas, sometimes swirling a suggestion of rainbow colours into
the white ground. She blends and smoothes out the paint with a large brush,
or with her hand, creating a background that appears to have both depth and
movement.
Using the tapered handle of a slim paint brush, Jenni then outlines the
shape her dancers captured in dramatic postures of celebration. Pouring the
paint from large bottles with spouts, she outlines the shape of the dancers
in thin lines of moving colour — beige, rust, silver, gold. The same
technique is used to create fields of energy around the dancers.
The Precedent
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Chediesq
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In working
with poured paint, Jenni is honouring a mode of action painting more than
half a century old. The technique of pouring, or dripping, paint on canvas
was the invention of America’s famous abstract expressionist, Jackson
Pollock, in the late 1940s. Jackson Pollock is best-known for a huge,
complex work in densely dripped paint, entitled Blue Poles, for which the
Art Gallery of Western Australia paid $2,000,000 in 1972, the highest price
paid up to that time anywhere in the world for a work of Contemporary Art.
But Jenni’s works are not purely abstract. The forms are distinct, the
outline postures are true to classical ballet, and the suggestion of muscles
in motion carries a hint of the anatomical. These are definitely dancers
sketched by someone who both feels and understands dance.
In White or in Blue
The ground for Jenni’s canvasses in this exhibition is, with one exception,
either softened white or cerulean blue. White is associated with purity,
light and the infinity of space. Blue conjures depth, mystery; and, in some
cultures, a sense of the divine. For Jenni, the blue comes from stained
glass windows in cathedrals and has an aura of the heavens.
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Breaking Out
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The figures on her
blue canvasses are streaked in red and yellow, inspired by the colour mood
of light coming through church windows. Jenni sees red as the creative fire
of the universe; and, yellow as its burning energy.
She has given her paintings titles such as: Joy Unbounded; Taking on the
World; Branching Out; Abandon; and then the more concrete, “Chedi-esque’,
inspired by the beautiful aesthetic and muted brown colours of The Chedi
Hotel, Muscat.
The Power of Pure, Clear
Voices
Some of the paintings seem like animated musical scores. These striking
works represent Jenni’s immersion in music. She paints while listening to
music, preferring the songs of powerful female vocalists. “I am inspired by
the energy of singers like Ashley Simpson, Avril Lavigne and Madonna —
singers with pure, clear voices,
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who can hold
a note and who are not afraid to change. Listening to them, I am flooded
with very strong images.”
The Walls are Alive
Walking though the exhibition, the viewer cannot escape the feeling that the
walls are alive with dancers about to soar out of their frames; or, that
freedom flows from the moving lines of paint which accompany the dancers in
abstract space. I felt there was something to celebrate; that, like the
artist, I could slip into the forms of these figures as they leap into a
realm of pure blue or white.
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Jenni's opening night of her first full exhibition. It took place
at the Bait Muzna Gallery in Muscat. She was very fortunate as it was opened by
His Excellency Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal al Busaidy, Secretary-General of the Council of
Ministers. He was genuinely interested in her paintings and took over an hour to
wander around while Jenni explained details of her work. Also in attendance were
the British, American and South African Ambassadors to Oman, many other dignitaries and
of course plenty of her friends.
| .. By Dr Patricia
Groves .. |
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There
are tins of paint stacked by the door to Jenni Eden’s exhibition. The
sponsor of the exhibition is Jotun and I almost expect to see the lids
of the paint cans replaced by enormous slices of fruit — pineapple,
watermelon, kiwi — in pure yellow, red-pink, meadow green — as in the
Jotun poster ads that dot some of the boulevards in Muscat.
The walls inside the gallery are a rainbow of colours — purple, blinding
lime, fire orange, magenta. The colours are acrylics mixed into vibrant
hues and thickly spread on large canvasses. The paint coats iconographic
images of Oman. Subjects are taken from local scenes and from the
forts.
There is an eye-catching quartet of portraits. Many of the paintings are
monochromatic in shades of the same colour with a deliberate demarcation
of the boundaries between hues. Colour is not used primarily to create
mood, but to express the artist’s inner conception, how she intuits the
underlying meaning of the scene or the essential character of the
sitter. |
In many cases the colour will be far from what
the outer eye sees. For instance, in one painting, a Bedu, his camel,
and the desert backdrop are all in shades of live lime-green. In
another, a donkey and his surroundings are patched in shades of purple
as if camouflaged through a colour filter. The results are startling and
shake the viewer out of his or her taken-for-granted multi-colour view
of the world. What if, with a blink of the eye, we could colour a scene
in an entirely different range of hues. It is easy to see why there is
excitement about the unusual approach of this young artist.
The idea of a person washed in a colour unrelated to that of their skin,
hair and eyes seems strange, but Jenni explains that people almost
always like seeing their new colour incarnations. It seems that they are
delighted with this novel manifestation of themselves in colour ID. The
portraits are becoming popular and there is currently a waiting period
of eighteen months for a commissioned piece. It all started when Jenni
did a portrait in blue of her child, Ellie. The portrait was admired by
friends and neighbours — and the word spread. |
Jenni Eden’s dominant colour interpretation has
decorative implications. She explains that some people who have bought a
painting and placed it in a room have felt inspired to redesign the
interior to complement the painting. Her large, bright uni-colour
canvasses must have the effect of commanding the room, just as a
coloured light would.
The paintings are strong and evoked immediate attention. The greatest
attraction seemed be for those that were in a colour, or colours, closer
to the normal reality such as:
– Nakhal Fort dressed in terracotta reds against a yellow and orange
sky;
– A picture in which the dominant purple atmosphere is broken by primary
colours appearing on craftswomen and their market wares;
– Bahla pots bathed in warm rosy tones, as if the sun were blushing over
them;
– A woodcarver in the lighter shades of wood, with lots of variety in
hue;
– A delightful “Cuthbert” camel in orange-brown, albeit against a
lime-yellow sky; and
– A “Clairabel” camel-character, brown, but with patchwork colours. |
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Everyone loves Jenni’s interpretation of the
camel, — the raised head with curious, thickly lashed eyes, the bemused
look and the total essence-of-camel aura in his demeanour and long neck.
It is fun to see this camel-character, “Cuthbert”, gazing cheekily out
at you and to have him painted in colours that are outrageous, yet suit
him and our affectionate notions of him. It was purchased in a flash by
someone whose pleasure kept increasing throughout the evening as he
whispered that it reminded him of ….. well, we had better not say, in
case you see this painting hanging on your friend’s wall!
There is a good variety of subject and mood in the selection of
paintings. Our friend the camel represents a concept very different from
that underlying the portraits of people. A close-up portrait of a
child’s face is painted with so much feeling that it seems to transcend
the limitations of its sole colour. Jenni Eden is also a primary
schoolteacher who loves children and is full of the joy of their world.
Her passion for people and her general exuberance are infectious. |
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“There is a warmth in the people I have met since
coming to Oman — a joy and a warmth that I love to bring out in my
portraits — and colours are best for this. When I see the personality
emerging in the portrait I know I am almost finished. I want my work to
be accessible. It has got to be accessible and so I set the prices at a
reasonable level so ordinary people can enjoy them in their own houses.”
Her words and the entire event are set to charming tunes from a piano
played in the mezzanine by a friend. The music and Jenni’s glowing
personality make this exhibition at the Bait Muzna Gallery an unusually
happy event, a celebration of more than the paintings — of the joy of
sharing with friends and of the pleasure of living in Oman.
What is next for Jenni Eden? “I have a vision of music-inspired
painting. I want to find a classical ballet dancer and paint her as she
moves with the music.” This is bound to be a new departure for this
young artist and it will be interesting to see how the overriding motion
and sound of the dance context might affect her ideas of colour and her
evolution as an artist in the years ahead. |
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At the Bait Muzna
Gallery
All the Colours in Oman
Paintings by Jenni Eden
Until 17 June 2004 |
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Send your
letters marked “Letters to the Editor” to Oman Daily Observer,
P.O.Box 974, PC 113, Muscat; fax them to 600362 or e-mail
editor@omanobserver.com |
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The Press waiting for the Opening Ceremony
Jenni gave interviews to the Oman Observer, The Times of Oman and The Week -
more details to follow as they become available. Much thanks must go to Susan,
Jackie, Violeta and Margerita - they all worked so hard to make the exhibition
possible. Also not forgetting JOTUN paints for sponsoring the event.
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Painting show opened at Bait Muzna Gallery
MUSCAT —Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal al Busaidy,
Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, inaugurated an exhibition
of paintings by British artist Jenni Eden, at Bait Muzna Gallery
yesterday.
The opening of the fortnight-long display, titled 'All the Colours in
Oman', was also attended by ambassadors, art enthusiasts and other
dignitaries.
Jenni, who moved recently to Oman from the UK, has been working on
canvasses — something the artist has been looking forward to resuming
after a few years' break. Inspiration for her work has come from the
climate, colours and intensity of the light in Oman. Equally, the neutral
tones of the local environment that are splashed with the vivid colours of
various plants or the glimpses of brightly coloured textiles, have
energised her as well.
Jenni's bold and vibrant paintings reflect the colours of Oman from a new
perspective. She likes to work on a grand scale, her acrylic paintings
appearing livelier on a large canvas.
Painting has been a constant fascination for the artist, who received
formal training at Liverpool University and graduated with a BA (Hons) in
Fine Art and Drama. She previously studied at Wigan College of Art and
Design where she received her B Tech in General Art and Design. She also
attended Guilsborough County School in Northamptonshire. All of this
enabled Jenni to gain a ground in the philosophy and fun of painting.
Jenni's ‘All the Colours in Oman’ is sponsored by Jotun Paints. The
exhibition concludes on June 17. — By A Staff Reporter
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Establishment for Press, News, Publication and Advertising
Chairman of Board of Directors and Editor in Chief
Said Bin Khalfan Al Harthy |
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