Jenny Singleton

About the Artist

EXHIBITS: 2016 (Sept) Solo show, Atrium Gallery, McLean Project for the Arts, McLean, VA 2016 (June) "Viewpoints 2016", annual international juried exhibition, Studio Montclair and Aljira: A Center for Contemporary Art, Newark, NJ 2015 "A Foot in the Door", juried group show, Washington ArtWorks, Rockville, MD 2015 (September) "Abstract Catalyst", juried group show, Verum Ultimum Gallery, Portland OR 2015 (September) "New Directions '15", annual national juried exhibition, Barrett Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY (Jurist: Janet Bishop, Weisel Family Curator of Painting and Sculpture, SFMOMA)     2015 "Deliberate Distortions", juried group show, The Studio Door gallery, San Diego, CA     2015 Regional Juried Exhibition, Hill Center Galleries, Washington, DC (Jurist: Mark Leithauser, Senior Curator and Chief of Design, National Gallery of Art) 2015 "Jenny Singleton: Paintings", solo show, The Grand Opera House, Wilmington, DE 2014 Lotta Art, juried art auction, School 33, Baltimore, MD 2014 "Absolutely Abstract", juried annual group show, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA 2014 "Passion for Color", two-person show, Bernice Kish Gallery, Columbia, MD 2012 "Working the Borders", solo show, Storage Space Gallery, Towson University, Towson, MD 2011 Juried annual student show, Center for the Arts Gallery, Towson University, Towson, MD 2011 "Reckless Drawing", group show, Storage Space gallery, Towson University, Towson, MD AWARDS: 2014 Honorable Mention, Absolutely Abstract, juried annual group show, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA 2011 Painting Faculty Award, for work in Towson University juried annual student show EDUCATION: Extensive coursework completed toward BA in Fine Arts, Painting/Drawing concentration, Towson University, Towson, MD MA, Near East Studies, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ BS, Arabic/Sociology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC ONLINE JURIED LISTING: The Painting Center Art File, The Painting Center, New York, NY REVIEW: Abstraction and Realism Meet in Kish Gallery Exhibit, Mike Giuliano, Baltimore Sun, 22 May 2014  

Artist's Statement

I paint vibrantly colored and richly detailed calligraphic abstractions. My images seem to me contemporary but tied to antiquity. They suggest dreams and totems, and sometimes address issues that move me strongly, but they always avoid explicit storytelling. A recurrent theme is the tension between creation and destruction, order and chaos. I am influenced by traditional and contemporary art of the Islamic world, modern American painters like Philip Taaffe, Thomas Nozkowski, and Charline von Heyl, and plants. I am especially attracted to contemporary art that builds on the heritage of Arabic and Islamic calligraphy, like the work of Shirin Neshat and Shahzia Sikander. These women have transcended cultural borders to make art rooted in their own traditions while addressing current issues for a global audience. From my Western perspective, I try to inventively incorporate elements of the Middle Eastern art I love in my own work. As for technique, I create tension between control and intentional lack of control in my brushwork, often by applying a loose and intuitively painted under-layer that is refined and elaborated - and sometimes almost obliterated - by more controlled overlying layers. I use unorthodox color combinations to awaken the eye, and mix mediums into the acrylic paint to create texture and highlight the physicality of the work.