Jennifer Balkan, Painting With a Passion
Text by Courtney Russell / Photography by Trang Duong
JENNIFER BALKAN--LOCAL PAINTER WITH A PH.D. IN SOCIOLOGY--IS LIVING PROOF that it really is never too late to pursue your passion. In 1995, Balkan came to Austin to study Latin American sociology at the University of Texas, but the art bug bit her three years ago in Europe. Specializing in telling stories with oil paints, she uses vibrant colors and movement to bring her characters to life on board and wood. Currently, her paintings are showing at the local F8 Fine Art Gallery, and opening November 4, Balkan's series will be on display at the "Women Who Paint Women" show at Little City Cafe.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO PAINT?
People are my favorite subject matter. I use the environment to describe the person. The introspective feelings I have when I paint, I want to transfer these feelings to my characters.
HOW DID YOU BECOME AN ESTABLISHED ARTIST?
To write poetry, you need to gain fluency in that particular language. In painting you need to understand shadow, tone, line and color. That's technical stuff, but with structure you can be extremely creative. In the beginning, I bought more than 30 different, lush colors. Now I have a lot more control with color. I'm down to 13 colors.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO COMMUNICATE TO YOUR AUDIENCE?
Vibrancy. I want to convey that "this is life." I'm trying to get a feeling of movement. The canvas is flat, two-dimensional. I have a story, and I put a lot of emotion into my paintings. It's important to do this somewhat realistically, but I do get imaginative with different palette choices--warmth and coolness of color used independently.
HOW DO YOU PAINT YOUR SUBJECTS?
I prefer to paint from life, but I do use photos for my narrative pieces. It's harder to paint from photographs. They're flat. People associate photographs with reality, but they're not objective--the colors are chosen by Kodak and Polaroid. When you use photos, you have to add to them and create.
WHY DO YOU TEND TO PAINT WOMEN?
I find women more beautiful than men. I'm drawn to draw them, perhaps because I identify with being a woman. I try to capture a particular idea and think out that idea through the eyes of my character. I love costume and embellishment. I love old vintage clothing. I like combining the femininity of an individual with the masculinity of her environment.
Excerpted from October 2004 issue of Austin Monthly Magazine.
back