Jenn Weinshenker ~ The Work
The, "Faces of a Woman," series has turned out to be a lifelong source
of inspiration. These canvases portray what it means to be a woman.
"The Accident," series began that first year after the accident. In the
beginning I could paint for maybe ten minutes a day. These paintings
were emotionally and physically, extremely painful to create. Each one
took about a year to paint and evolved on the canvas.
"The Journey," is a series of nine canvases that took seven years to
complete. Each painting has a meaning all its own. These paintings were inspired
by nine Jewish Holidays and the Holocaust survivors and WWII vets that I
interviewed before the accident, for a book I was writing. Each painting wound
up encompassing my own journey of self-discovery as I learned how to live again,
after the accident.
"Scapes," are landscapes of places that I have loved. A few were done at
certain events. The Fair was painted at the Lilith Fair in Michigan. Rainbow
Farm and Woods, were painted at the Rainbow Farm Campgrounds in Cassopolis,
Michigan. Elation and The French Countryside were paintings I did from color
pencil drawings I worked on while I was in London and France.
"Life Stories," are mostly family portraits. Each one is inspired by
someone I love and all of the things they love. The first one I painted
many years ago. It is a scene on a Lake Michigan beach on the north shore with my children and
our dog. The others were done after the accident. They began
with Blue Heron which was a birthday present for my son Matt when he
turned 21. I thought of all of the things Matt loved
and they somehow made there way onto the canvas. He loved the blue heron
that used to land on the weed island in front of our old house. He loved
to catch froggers and snakes and turtles and he loved the lake. So all
of those things are in the painting. The blue heron itself is actually a
symbolic side profile of Matt sitting by the water's edge, leaning
forward with his head resting on his hand.
The next one I painted when my son Steve had turned 21. It was his birthday present. I call this one
Farm
Eagle. Steve loved playing the guitar outside at sunset. And I loved listening
to him play. One day, at sunset, while he was playing; a pair of golden eagles
flew overhead. I didn't want to move because I didn't want them to go away. One
of them stayed high but the other circled lower and lower until it was maybe 50
feet overhead. I don't know if it was Steve's playing the guitar or the glint of
light that shimmered from the strings, I'm guessing it was both, that drew the
eagle to him. But it was such a profound moment that it turned out to be a major
source of inspiration for the piece.
Nesting was painted for Karen. She had fallen in love and Frank. He and
his daughter Lizbeth had become a wonderful part of her life. Many years
earlier she had put me in touch with her mom who had also survived a
brain injury. Melinda was hugely responsible for encouraging me to read
and to keep trying everyday, even if it was only a sentence, to keep
working at it. If it wasn't for both of them in my life I don't know if
I would have even thought that I would be able to read or write again. I
was so happy for her when she found such a wonderful partner that all of
those things came out on the canvas. Frank is the peacock in the tree,
watching over his girls. Karen and Lizbeth are embracing each other. And
our family and our love is represented by the lotus flowers in the tree.
Rebekah's 21st birthday painting, City Hawk, was inspired by her love of
Chicago. We were often awestruck at the beauty of the sun setting over Chicago
and the lake when we were going home from Columbia College. Every now and then I
would see a red-tailed hawk in the city. The strength and freedom of the hawk
became another source of inspiration for the way the city spread out along Lake
Michigan. The hawk is resting at the feet of the city, on the other side of the
park, at the lake's edge. It has fish, placed like legs sitting in the lotus
position, in the water. This came about because Rebekah felt so peaceful
whenever she went to the lake. And the third eye in between the eyes of the hawk
is the sun giving off this beautiful light while at the same time it is setting,
from our view. It is like the Tao. It represents the all of everything that
never leaves, even when we can't see it or touch it or hold onto it.
I'm still enjoying the creative process of my work. Below
is, "Unchartered Waters." This was the only oil painting I did two
years ago. I have been working on three oils this year. The older I get the more freedom and pleasure I
derive from the, "not knowing" aspect of allowing an image to become
while I am "being." I don't need to understand it. I'm just digging going with the flow.
Expressing myself creatively through painting
and writing are as natural to me as breathing. Hopefully, this will
continue until the day I give and take my last.
The Art
The Writing
