Jennifer Bolch Artist Statement

In two words, I would describe my work as emotive portraiture; work that portrays the emotions of the subject as well as evokes an emotional response from the viewer. I want the work to create an interactive emotional space between the painting and the viewer; this space is intended to be cyclic. As the viewer experiences a painting, it brings up their experiences and emotions and then the viewer observes the painting again from that emotional stance. Ideally, the longer the viewer observes the painting, the more it will draw them into an emotional state of empathy or understanding and continue this cyclical interaction. The painting serves as a mirror or a window for the viewer into an emotional state they may or may not have experienced personally. In this way, the painting creates a dialogue or conversation between itself and the viewer where the viewer must surface and explore their feelings about the subject. I am also interested in creating a dialogue between viewers. For example, if two people are both looking at a painting and discuss it, or if one person views it, reflects on it, and then discusses it with someone later on.
Leonardo da Vinci said, “A work of art is a world in itself reflecting the senses and emotions of the artist’s world.”  As an artist that works with spreading emotions onto the canvas, I feel that it is important for me to paint subjects that are close to me and that I have a strong connection to. This allows me to cross the line from illustrating to expressing emotions though my work. Several subjects that reappear frequently in both my life and my art are domestic violence, what it means to be a woman, and my international experiences as a traveler.
I have spent a lot of time this past year volunteering at the Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence, a battered women’s shelter and outreach program. In doing so, I have been exposed to a variety of things that I wasn’t sure I was ready to experience. Some of those things are very ugly and difficult to see, but beneath the bruises and fear are strong women; women that have found the power and strength within themselves to leave everything behind and seek a better life for themselves and their children. Since I started working at the shelter, the issue of domestic violence and particularly its impact on women and our society has been at the forefront of my mind. I have been exploring domestic violence and how to create conversation about the subject through my paintings. Domestic violence is something that occurs far too often and is rarely discussed. It stirs strong emotions for those that have experiences with it and most of the time those experiences are buried. It is a subject that I feel needs to be resurfaced in our society so that it can be dealt with and eradicated. I want people to understand the concepts of power and control surrounding domestic violence, empathize with the struggle these women go through, and comprehend that in the end, these are strong and beautiful women. I have used my artwork as a framework for this unspoken conversation.
Another subject that surfaces frequently in my artwork is the idea of being a woman in general. I am interested in the power of being a woman as well as exploring how our world affects us and how we affect our world. I want to portray the difficulties we encounter but also the gifts we can offer the world. Becoming a woman, recreating ourselves constantly while maintaining our sense of self, and our expressions of sexuality are just a few of the concepts that I have been exploring.