Jen Lobo KNOW Exhibition Interview

Jen Lobo is our next featured artist interview prepared to introduce you to the diversity of style and inspired painting talent that will be featured at this year’s KNOW exhibition during the Gen Art Vanguard Fair. Murphy Fine Art Editions will be featuring over 100 paintings, 3 featuring Jen Lobo. Jen strikes me as an intimate portrait painter of all things living who captures the spirit of nature while interacting with the complexities of man. But let me let Jen introduce you to her imaginative, painted world. Enjoy.

MM : Knowing that you are a fan of nature, can you introduce your love of nature to everyone?

JL : I grew up along the Port of Los Angeles, whale watching, searching through tidepools, watching ships come in and out if the harbor, and frequenting the Aquarium and Maritime Museums. A love for nature was definitely cultivated from an early age. As I grew older, my interest in nature, animals in particular, kept growing alongside an interest in art. I just sort of naturally fell into combining the two.

Having children has also really heightened my curiosity. Kids seem to have an instinctual thirst for knowledge about the way the world works. I think you find yourself questioning things a lot more and just slowing down and paying attention to things you might not have otherwise noticed when you spend a lot of time with kids. You also seem to find yourself inside museums and nature centers often. Some of the best resources are targeted to kids. You can usually find me dorking out in the kids' section.


MM : What excites you most about being a painter?
JL : I feel extremely lucky to be able to do what I do. The thing that excites me the most is getting to spend so much time focusing on a subject that I just genuinely love so much. It's sort of like a bonus.


I also love the process of painting and I feel like every painting I do, I am learning something new and struggling through something that makes the next painting easier. It just never gets old. I feel like there is always something to learn about and read about, some new discovery in the world or a new perspective on scientific theories and similarly, I feel like there is always a new medium to explore and learn about in artmaking. I absolutely love oils, but I always try to keep up the challenge. I've been working a lot with watercolors lately as well.

MM : Please introduce us to 4 paintings that excite you subject matter wise and explain :
JL : I think the common theme in the paintings that I feel are the most interesting is the allegorical nature of them.


The Devil Whale is a painting that I felt captured what I try to achieve. It is based on old sailing folklore. The legend is that the sailors would anchor on an island, only to find that it is actually an enormous whale and the ship would violently be overturned. The thing I find most interesting about the folklore is the irony that the very thing that is supposed to be the source of stability ends up being subversive. I also really love the idea that these legends permeated through culture and were accepted as truth. There is something sort of childlike about it.


Chroma Thieves is inspired by that sort of childlike characteristic of explaining a natural occurance with a seemingly "logical" explanation. A white Peacock is the result of Peacock Butterflies stealing his colors.


The painting Nantucket Sleigh Ride is a story of vindication. A Nantucket Sleigh Ride is an expression used in whaling where a harpooned whale would take the boat on "ride" as it struggled to get free. My Nantucket Sleigh Ride is a Right Whale taking down a ship, for an ill-fated ride.


Jealousy is the story of a little kiwi bird that longs to fly. Few things are more heartbreaking than a flightless bird.

MM: What have you been working on in regards to Art Basel : What is the subject matter and can you describe :


JL : For Art Basel I have painted a series of animals that I have met through working at the Wildlife Waystation (wildlifewaystation.org ), an exotic wildlife rescue roughly 30 miles north of Los Angeles. I really pinch myself every time I can steal away a couple of hours to visit the Waystation. It is such a unique and absolutely fantastic place where animals that have either been abused or are orphaned and cannot be released into the wild are cared for. It is home to about 400 animals ranging from injured owls and hawks to full grown lions and tigers and even a binturong. The dedication of the volunteers and staff is truly inspiring and was the driving force of this new series.

This is also the first time that I am painting animals that I actually know. These paintings are portraits rather than just an image of an animal. It really changes the entire feel for me. It makes it a lot more personal and also bears a lot more responsibility. I know the trainers and handlers that work with these animals will be able to tell if I don't capture their likeness and perhaps more importantly, their character.


MM : Where should people look to find out more about you and your paintings :

JL : My website is jenlobo.com

I also keep a blog that I try not to neglect too often. I post about what I'm working on and upcoming events and such. Be forwarned, though, there is a lot of bragging about my kids, too.
jenlobo.blogspot.com http://jenlobo.blogspot.com

Thank you Jen and thanks to all of you who have taken time out to learn more about the artists featured during Miami Art Basel. See you at the exhibition.