We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jenny Day a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Jenny with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I have a strong desire to get better. I feel it across every aspect of my life. To be a better partner, friend, artist. I am constantly chasing how I can improve my work, to get my vision across more clearly and with a more diverse skillset.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am an artist living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I work across a variety of mediums including painting, sculpture, textiles, and mixed media.
Time has been a persistent concern in my work. Time and biophilia, a lifelong love for the natural, a drive to explore the human relationship to the encompassing world. Time is spiraled in on itself, a snail’s shell, a multilinear matrix. We ride one strand, careening between disasters. My work is a memory from an adjunct future, post-apocalyptic, triumphant, celebrating what remains, what survives. Like all memories they’re distorted, by transmission, by storage, by replication. A story changed by the telling.
Current exhibitions include Okay with the Distortion, a solo exhibition at Ferrara Showman Gallery in New Orleans, LA, February 21-April 6, 2024. This new body of work examines a settling into the aftermath, a world where the moon is ever present, electric,
A Feast to Remember, a massive mixed media feast populated by friendly creatures has traveled from Alabama Contemporary in Mobile, AL to Form and Concept Gallery in Santa Fe, NM. This immersive installation discuses environmental degradation and climate change with whimsy and humor. On view March 17 – April 26, 2024.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
In my artistic practice it is crucial to adapt and pivot when needed, to strive towards doing my best work no matter what the situation, and to carefully listen to criticism. I think the only way to continue to change and grow is to surround myself with people that I am inspired by, that are loving and honest. Growth and adaptation are necessary to be the best version of myself. I try to improve on these skills by putting myself in new situations and work on truly listening to others.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When I feel overwhelmed I start by making lists and prioritizing what really needs to get done. I also check in on other areas of my life, what I am eating, how much I am sleeping and exercising. Often I just really need a day to reset and be in nature. One thing that has helped me lately, is to think about my concerns with a long view. How will I feel about this in eight hours, in two days, five months, five years?