Jennifer Galvin
Artist Statement—My current portfolio is primarily composed of pulp paintings. They are created out of recycled materials such as recycled jeans, t-shirts, mat board, and plant fiber.
I love to take what is being discarded, what other people consider trash, and turn it into something beautiful. The metamorphosis of the painting itself is a part of my process. As the pulp becomes the painting, it is transformed into something entirely new—something beautiful out of what was once seen as used up. I intend to show that new is not better than used, and that often our greatest inspirations come from the discarded.
My pulp painting process begins with using my own photography to create a stencil. I then slowly remove the stencil and flow recycled pulp into the design. The final step is to add one more layer of pulp with a paintbrush. The finished painting is one continuous sheet of paper with no glue used in the final product.
I am inspired by several artists. I love the Impressionists and seek to emulate their flow of color and light with my paper art.
Jennifer Galvin
Wild Oaks Studio
www.jennifergalvin.com
Jennifer Galvin grew up in the great Pacific Northwest amongst the tall trees. Some of her fondest memories of childhood are of her favorite climbing tree in her front yard where she liked to read. Having grown up so close to outdoor adventuring opportunities, Jennifer was naturally drawn to artwork that conserves the very nature that she loves so much. Jennifer loves the process of turning what other people consider trash into treasure.
Handmade paper, pulp painting, printmaking, calligraphy, and alcohol ink, are all art forms that are part of Wild Oaks Studio and the mixed media art of Jennifer Galvin.
Jennifer makes her paper using a combination of Western and Eastern methods of papermaking. She pulls her papers with a Western mold and deckle and then dries her papers with the Eastern method of restraint drying. Her multi-colored and multi-fibered papers are a mixture of pulp painting and stencil work. When working with paper pulp, she works in a wet on wet environment and her finished artwork is generally one piece of paper that does not involve glue.
Almost all of the paper materials that are used at Wild Oaks Studio are recycled. From mat board from a local framing studio to plants from local gardens, Jennifer’s papers are primarily made from fibers that would have ended up in a landfill. She takes discarded material and gives it new life—old t-shirts, jeans, and mat board become beautiful paintings.
Jennifer takes inspiration for her art from the Impressionists and hopes to convey the sense of light and airiness in her paper work. She loves to travel, hike, and run and frequently takes photos on these adventures. Photography as an art form and as an inspiration for other art keep Jennifer’s photo collection constantly growing.
Jennifer Galvin is a member of the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts.
Toni Scott
“Stepping Back” is an exhibition of works connected not only by subject but also the exploration of texture and similar color palettes. The multi-media works on canvas incorporate antique photographs known as cabinet cards. Other materials incorporated are buttons, postage stamps, antique receipts, fabric, and other found objects. The antique shoe photographs were digitally manipulated and transferred to handmade papers. In some works, pen and ink, oil pastel, graphite, or watercolor was added. Toni enjoys combining contemporary techniques with established fine art techniques employed by artists for centuries. It is in combining the old with the new that she continues to realize how important color, texture, order, structure, and tradition are to her work regardless of medium.
For Toni, each of the works is a story begging to be told. Who are the people in the photographs? Who wore these shoes? To what events did they wear them? Did anyone really dance in these shoes? “Stepping Back” asks the viewer to take a moment to think about the images and their histories and ponder the questions. Step back to appreciate a simpler time. Take time to notice the stitching and button closures on the shoes. Make note of the beautiful penmanship on the receipts. Journey back in time with Toni by “Stepping Back”.
Toni Scott is a 1978 graduate of Mary Washington College where she received a Bachelor of Art degree in Studio Art. Later that year, she was hired as one of the first middle school art teachers in Spotsylvania County and helped to create the middle school art curriculum. She opened Spotsylvania Middle School in 1983, taught at Courtland High School during the 1987-88 term, and then opened Chancellor High School in the fall of 1988 where she taught until her retirement in 2015. In 1992 she was selected as the Virginia Art Education Association’s High School Art Teacher of the Year. A year later, she received an Award of Excellence from the National Council for Art Education for her work on behalf of all of Virginia’s art students as the VAEA’s Youth Art Month Chair. In 2003, she earned a Master of Interdisciplinary Studies degree from Virginia Commonwealth University with an emphasis in painting and craft. Her work has been exhibited at Art First, P. Rose Gallery, VCU MIS Alumni Show, The Centennial Celebration at UMW, Libertytown Arts, Cloth, Paper, Scissors Magazine, Petersburg Area Art League, King George Art Guild Biennial Exhibit, Backdoor Gallery, and numerous shows at FCCA over the last 16 years. In her retirement, Toni enjoys painting in her studio, spinning, weaving, and knitting, practicing yoga, and traveling with her husband.
