Artist Jennifer Ross creates intimate portraits of birds, nests and horses. Jennifer grew up surrounded by the art of her mother and grandfather. Her attempt to follow in their footsteps presented detours, however, and she ended up working in art galleries selling other's work. But her desire to paint continued to grow throughout the years. In 2008, a gift certificate to a local art store turned into a life-changing event. Jennifer found inspiration in a collection of antique prints of birds' nests and began to paint her first avian series. These paintings serve as symbolic family portraits of what we all hold dear - our home and loved ones. Today, Jennifer draws on Kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending pottery with gold. Using broken eggshells, she intricately collages the individual personalities and character of her animal subjects.
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About The Artist
Artist Statement
The bird’s nest paintings in oils and mixed media are my main body of work, but I have expanded on that to include other subjects, including equine art, abstracts and landscapes.
I grew up surrounded by art and in the studios of my mother and grandfather. My plan to follow in their footsteps as an artist took a detour and I began a decade long career working in art galleries, selling the artwork of others and doing framing design. But the desire to do more of my own painting and drawing continued to grow by occasionally working on small pastel pieces.
In 2008, with a sudden opportunity of time and space to paint and a generous gift certificate to a local art supply store, I began a large acrylic painting inspired by a collection of antique prints of bird’s nests and eggs from the English illustrator, Alexander Francis Lydon (1836 - 1917) that I found hidden in a drawer in one of the galleries I worked in. There was something about these studies of nest and egg that stirred a deeply personal meaning, and I decided to try translating it onto a large canvas. I also experimented with adding a technique I once saw in a piece of artwork from Asia, brought in by a framing client, which was created using broken eggshells. When this initial painting was completed, I realized that I was honoring my family's artistic heritage of portrait painting by seeing the egg as representing the human ego.
Press
Northwest Area Arts Council March 12, 2015Empowering Women Through Creative Expression
Hear What Collectors Say About Jennifer's Work
Oh Wow! Such incredible words...Thank you and I'm so very happy you love it!!
powerful. magical. mysterious. It's small contained energy glows. love it!
Thank you so much!! I can't tell how wonderful it is to get feedback like this
Hi, Jennifer - your work is GREAT!
You are so welcome! I feel so much peace when I am painting. It is so wonderful to share that with you through this piece.
I just bought "Secrets of the Nest." I love all nature, and I love to have it around me. I fell in love with your painting, looking at it, soothes my soul. Thank you for that.
I'm so happy to have this lovely, thoughtful piece in my home- many thanks!
Yeah!! Thanks for letting me know about "Nest On A Silver Lining". I think the eggs on that painting are some of the best I've painted.
Love the painting!
I am so thrilled that you love the painting!! And thank you for taking the time to let me know. I consider that painting my "masterpiece" so far.
been meaning to write you for months after purchasing "made by mysterious birds". I am continuously dazzled by its simple complexity, mysterious beauty and depth. Soooooo glad I bought.
I'm so glad "Snowbird's Nest" found a great home with you!
Jennifer I purchased "Snowbird's Nest" I received it today and just wanted to tell you I absolutely love it! It is just beautiful! More so in person! Thank you so much. I love your work.
That would be great. Thank you.
Let me check with my local framer, who does my custom canvases, about how quickly she can do the 15"x 15"
Jennifer I think 15x15 would be perfect for the space I have. I really like the nest and eggs in Cardinal's Blessing" I love everything about Cardinal Blessing But just would want blue background. Any idea on cost for 15x15, and 6 to 8 weeks would be the time frame? Thank you
The 16"x 16" size is a "standard" canvas, the next smaller size in a square format would be 14"x 14" or 12"x 12". I could have a custom sized canvas stretched if you wanted a 15"x 15". If there's part of "Cardinal's Blessing" you really like, I could incorporate those elements into your painting on the blue background. Have you had a chance to check out the info on the commission process on the website?
I love the 16x16 Cardinal's blessing, the colors are absolutely beautiful of the nest and eggs love the red background but just would not go with where I want the painting, so 16x16 or even a bit smaller. Beautiful work I love it! Thank you.
Absolutely! What size are you thinking?
Love "Nest on Blue Velvet-Indigo any chance of making it on a smaller canvas?
Thank you for letting me know! Since my paintings are about "home" it means a lot to me know they've found a new one.
Hi Jennifer! Your print "The Exact Temperature of a Cardinal's Nest" has found a home in my office at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. Thank you for making such lovely art!
I really like your paintings.
I'm so glad you love it!! That is a very special painting (it is the first one that I used the "eggshell-ing" technique on) and it sounds like it has found a very happy home with you.
This painting is the first thing you see when you enter the house. The colors are great and it makes you smile and think at the same time. Attractive to the eye and the mind. And people compliment it all the time. We Love it.
Hello, I am working on a couple new pieces with the nests seen from above. Are you still interested? Do you have a preference in the number of eggs?
You're welcome. Just let us know...
That's the one! Thanks.
I recently took a couple pieces off the site to display them in a local gallery. Could it be "To Guard Thy Nest" with a female red winged blackbird watching over her nest with three eggs? It would still be available through Ugallery...Thank you for inquiring!
You had a painting called something like "to thy nest" and it seems to have disappeared from the site. Do you still have it?
Hi! Ugallery has done two prints from my paintings that are available on their Paperworks site. but that piece "And In Her Nest..." has a very different feel. I could paint a similar nest and eggs in a smaller size for you.
Hi Jennifer - are there prints available for purchase? I'm particularly interested in, 'and in the nest, her three eggs rest.'
Thank you! That little painting has been such a challenge to get a photo that does it justice. I actually took more photos of it yesterday at Ugallery's request because they are planning on exhibiting it at the Affordable Art Fair in NYC in a few weeks. Would you like me to have the pics emailed to you? I drove through St Louis last summer on the way to a wedding in Springfield, MO, but I don't think I'll be heading your way in the foreseeable future
I like your art - thinking seriously about Through The Darkest Night, which fits with a theme I'm collecting. But it sounds like it's so much more interesting in person than on-screen. Will you be in St. Louis at all this summer?
You're welcome and thank you! I feel so incredibly honored that my painting is your first original.
Dear Jennifer, My husband and I love your painting (Family of Five-Birch Tree)! As soon as I saw it, I just had to have it. We have put it up in our bedroom in our feng-shui "children" corner. This is the first original painting we have ever owned, and we are thoroughly enjoying many aspects of it. Thank you for your work- Please keep sharing your creativity and talent with the world!
Merry Christmas!! Thank you so much for letting me know.
I received this one and Grade AA for Christmas, and absolutely love them. Have yet to frame, but am excited to hang - very beautiful prints; such detail, and just lovely work.
Hi Jessica! Thank you for your comments about that little painting. I don't have anything else like it right now, but I have found that I LOVE to paint large! I believe Alex from Ugallery was going to try to contact you about the commission process. I am in the far Western suburbs of Chicago and we can definetly arrange to have you see my work. Artfully yours, Jennifer Ross
Hi Jennifer, My husband and I love your painting "Finding Greener Pastures in a Familiar Place," but we are looking for something larger (e.g. 4' in length and 3' in height at a minimum). Are you working on anything similar in a larger size? Are you in the Chicago area so that we could see your work in person? Thanks! Jessica
Trisha, I am overflowing with joy to read your comments about what my painting means to you. That is exactly what the language of my heart was trying to translate onto the canvas when I painted "Love Nest"! Thank you! Jennifer Ross
Jennifer, Thanks for the newest addition to our family. It hangs in my newly reclaimed "garden room" (previously the kids toy/video gaming room). The painting has many meanings to me, most of which I will not delve into here. It jumped out at me because of "love nest" quality, thinking about me and my husband and then on further reflection I realized it also symbolized to me the growing up of my two boys, 10 and 15 and the inevitable moment when they leave the nest. Oh well don't mean to be so deep on a Friday morning, but that's how I feel about it. I just love it. Thanks so much, Trisha
I am so happy that the birds have found their home with your family!
Jennifer, We got it and we love it. You are so talented. Thanks so much for painting it...for us! And, of course, the kids think it is great as well.
Tell him that we think our 8 yr old, 5 yr old and 2 yr old will love it...and we are glad he encouraged you! Thanks again, we are very excited to get it.
Thank you!! I can't wait for you to see it in person. A photo will be sent shortly. My son just said, "See, told you you needed to paint the birds." (He'll be 13 in two weeks...)
Is is possible to get a good digital image of the artwork now that we are the owners?
Thanks...it sounds and looks great online, so we just made the purchase. We can't wait to get it!
Hello, I have been doing the nest and egg paintings for a little while now and my son kept asking me, " When are you going to paint the birds?" , so this painting is the "natural" evolution of that series. The birds are all local to the Midwest/ Eastern U.S. and the eggs in the nests are appropriate to the species (color, speckles, average number of eggs). I have an aunt who is very active in Audubon so I knew it had to be authentic! I titled the painting "Early Birds" has the sky as the feel of the early morning atmosphere. The sides of the gallery wrapped canvas are painted a dark brown, so the painting is ready to hang. Please let me know if there is anything else that comes to your mind that I can tell you about. My Best, Jennifer Ross
Jennifer- we like the early bird painting...can you tell us something about it?