Jenifer Livesey

I am a self taught artist beginning my art journey in December of 2018. Using primarily inks I create mixed media cairns, stacked rocks, as a symbol of balance, guidance and unity. I draw my inspiration from the simplicity of nature while not feeling obliged to represent nature realistically which gives me the freedom to experiment with form, design and color. I like to blend contemporary aspects of modern life with the simple beauty of the natural world in my pieces. In North America cairns are often used to guide hikers on trails. When we break cairns down farther we see the stones are in a delicate balance with each other unifying to create a higher purpose. If one stone is out of place the entire structure will collapse. We must reflect upon these principles alone but also on a larger scale. I want the viewer to enter my pieces and contemplate the symbiotic relationship we must have not only within ourselves but also with each other as well as with mother nature. The scope of my work is to create an awareness of living in harmonious balance in all areas of our lives. In creating my pieces I rarely use brushes but rather allow the fluidity of the inks to dance across my substrate manipulating them with a variety of uncommon tools. In addition to playing with the inks fluidity I also enjoy their transparency which creates a lighter, airier feel to my work. Not being professionally trained I tend to get lost in intuitive expression when I create. Sometimes I feel absent from the moment yet submerged in the creation at the same time. Additionally, in my pieces I am creating multiple paintings that must cohesively work with one another as a single unit. Each rock is its own individual but must balance with the others to create a cohesive design. Sometimes the simplicity of one stone compliments the complexity of another. In turn I find this very representative of mankind. All beautiful, unique and created individually but must work together as a whole.