Elegy

Jacqueline Wender

My academic training is in theater, with an emphasis on technical theater and design. My theater training encouraged me to explore how people are affected by their surroundings, and how those surroundings influence their interactions with one another. Following a career in university administration, I have come full circle back to my artistic roots. I paint places and things that have particular meaning to me, places that I know and love.

By the age of nine I had lived in or visited 16 countries across Asia and Western Europe, in addition to my childhood home in northern California. My early travels taught me to appreciate the beauty of the world around us, both the natural and the built environments, and how nature shapes us and we shape nature. I aspire to capture on canvas a time and place, creating a visual experience of not only what I see but also what I feel.

I aim to portray the beauty of places that define a region, that hold mystery, or are sacred, or are at some risk. To me, celebrating the beauty of the world around us is a moral imperative: it is critical to engage all the senses in awakening people to what is at stake as we daily lose more of our environment. I believe that art has the potential to produce deep responses, and can inspire and motivate the viewer to action. I paint these places in celebration of the wonder and joy that they have brought to my own life, to capture and share these places and feelings that are close to my heart.

Email: jmbwender@gmail.com
Website: jacquelinewenderart.com