JENNIFER STRULOWITZ ARTIST’S STATEMENT
“WHO I AM AND WHAT I DO”
Before telling you about my art, I thought I’d share a little about myself. One of the things that people notice when I walk is that my gait has a little bounce to it. I joke that it’s my trademark, but it’s because I was born three months prematurely. At two pounds, three and a half ounces, the doctors rated me at less than a five percent chance of survival, but later called me their “miracle child” and said I survived because I had such a strong will to live.
Due to problems after my birth though, I have M.C.P. (minimal cerebral palsy). I didn’t learn to walk until I was twenty-three months old, and wore leg braces until about age nine. Most people were fantastic, but unfortunately some intentionally made me feel that I was different. The arts were always there for me though.
In high school, a wonderful teacher encouraged me to take art classes. I had always painted and drawn, but showing my work in class was embarrassing because it was so different. When I tried to do what the teacher taught though, nothing creative came out. He understood and let me do my own style, but in college I almost failed my art courses because I couldn’t do what the professors wanted. I tried several other schools, but my art didn’t fit in there either. During college, I moved from Iowa to Chicago, where I attended Improv classes at Second City…participated in The Jam at Open Mic…and spent six weeks in Israel on an outdoor expedition where I lived and worked on several kibbutzim, worked on an archeological dig, hiked through the country, and rappelled from a mountaintop. Back in Chicago, I participated in several juried art exhibitions, an art auction, and my first solo show. I previously lived in La Jolla, but currently reside in Los Angeles, California.
I never planned a style for my art. It just emerged. People in various aspects of the arts call me an Outsider Intuitive Visionary Artist. Most of my pieces have the common thread of faces, mood, and vibrant color. A lot of times I’ll leave off a nose or a mouth because I feel that it’s not always necessary to have them. The best way to tell you about my style is to say that people tell me they can’t quite describe it because it’s, “Childlike, but with a definite sophistication.”
One woman commissioned me to paint a portrait of her baby as a surprise for her husband. She invited me to meet her baby, then said, “Just paint him however you want to.” So I painted a bright yellow “sun” with big blue eyes. Later, the parents told me it looked so much like their son that they cried because it made them so happy.
Usually I have no idea what I’m going to paint because if I planned it, I would get caught up in the details. I love working with acrylics because they dry quickly, and I can keep adding layers. I enjoy going back and forth on three or four pieces at once. Sometimes the subject is based on a recent experience, but other times I can honestly say that I have no idea where the idea came from…it just poured out.
We’re taught that it’s not always polite to express our emotions, so sometimes they get stuck inside us. I get mine out on canvas, notebook paper, cardboard, or whatever else is around at the time. When people see my pieces, the comment that I hear most often is, “That’s exactly how I’m feeling!”
One collector, who worked for a renowned museum, told me that mine was her first piece…the anchor piece in her own art collection. Some emerging collectors have also told me that mine was their first piece. I’m also extremely honored that some of my works can be found in private collections around the United States, alongside works by celebrated artists who include: Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Ed Paschke, and Lee Godie.
Your interest in my art means so much!
All the best!
Jennifer
Jennifer Strulowitz Intuitive Art