In our ongoing Meet-the-Artist series, we present abstract artist Jen Sterling:
1. How would you describe your art?
My paintings are bold, abstract, and energetic expressions intended to inspire the viewer to live their lives in full color.
2. Where are you based, and does your location have any influence on your art?
I live and work in Annapolis, Maryland. It is an east coast waterfront town so there are a ton of boats and seafood restaurants. My work is not at all influenced by or reflective of my location. That can often be an impediment to selling my work. Many local art collectors are looking for sailboats, crabs, or beach scenes for their decor. Those themes just don’t speak to me. So I must look outside of my immediate geography for collectors more in tune with my bold and colorful abstract style.
Tahitian Pearl
3. Did you know you wanted to be an artist as a child, and did you go to art school? If not, how did your art path develop?
I have always loved art but I had never considered it as a viable career path for myself. It was always something I just did for fun. My father was an academic so I had always intended to pursue a more “serious” career such as genetic engineering or law. While filling in the requirements for my undergraduate degree I selected a typographic design course as a fine art elective. I felt like I had been hit by lightning! I switched my academic trajectory and a career in graphic design became my sole focus. It was a way for me to be creative and still make what was considered a “professional living.” I spent 30 years in design and built three companies. I loved the creative outlet but still did fine art for myself all along the way. As the design field changed (and my work became less creative and more about statistics) I decided it was time to step out and focus on something that truly brought me joy. I sold my company to my staff and threw myself into my art full-time.
City Lights in the Rain
4. Did anyone else greatly influence your art – for example, a relative, another artist, a particular art era or movement, or a muse?
My mother has collected art supplies her entire life. Her craft room was always a magical place of possibilities and she taught me to tap into that magic. She also taught me to appreciate art. She was a docent at the National Museum of American Art and would often take my sister and me to art museums. She taught me how to look at art and most importantly how to see.
Giverny
5. What is your perspective on museums and galleries in 2024? Can they be improved, and if so, how? Do you have a favorite museum?
Wow… this is a very broad question. I love all museums and try to go to them in whatever city I am in or passing through. Big famous ones, small niche ones, pop-up ones…I don’t think I have a favorite museum. I have favorite pieces of art that I like to visit regularly but I also love to come upon something new and unexpected that speaks to me. I do my best to take myself on “art dates” at least once a month to visit a museum.
Now galleries… that is a whole other can of worms! There are those I enjoy visiting because they carry artists and/or work that I enjoy, or they have staff that engage with me and talk about the work they are showing. But there are also those that feel too snooty and stuck up as if they and the art they show are too good for me. Those galleries don’t keep me engaged very long at all.
6. What is your perspective on Artificial Intelligence and whether or not it can be used as a tool for artists. If it can be, how would it be used?
I believe that AI is a powerful tool for the arts and I don’t see it going away. As such, we need to stop fighting its use. However… I feel strongly that we need to label it properly when it is used to craft finished pieces. It needs to compete openly and fairly with other mediums.
I know that there is a huge controversy about the use of existing art to train AI. While I agree in principle that an artist’s work should not be used without permission or compensation… isn’t that in fact how I was trained? I spent my whole life viewing the works of other artists and using their styles to influence my own. How is that any different?
7. Knowing it’s impossible to choose a favorite piece (it’s like having to choose a favorite child), what is one of your pieces that you absolutely love?
“Beginning” is the very first painting that made it out of my home studio and was seen by anyone other than my mom. It is a very colorful and gestural work that I have always associated with my reconnecting with my fine art. It wasn’t until much later that I realized it portrays a phoenix rising from the ashes.
8. Do you have a favorite artist or one you find inspiring?
Oh yes… I am inspired by so many different artists! Some in style, some in color palettes, and others in composition. I love the work of Alphonse Mucha, Gustav Klimt, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Claude Monet, John Singer Seargent, Jackson Pollock, Georgia O’Keefe, Josef Albers, Jasper Johns, Joan Mitchell, Mark Rothko, Gerhard Richter, Ansel Adams, and Herb Ritts. Each of these artists has contributed to my personal style in some way or another.
9. How do you see your work evolving? Do you have any specific goals, or do you follow your inspiration where it leads you?
My work is very reflective of my mood or mind at the moment I am working on it. I have tried to direct my work to certain colors or styles as I attempted to guess what would make my art more desirable for buyers. Each time it felt forced and didn’t succeed as I had hoped. My work is always most successful (and fulfilling) when I let my inspiration free. When I can reach a “flow state” and just let it come through my hands onto the canvas… those are the works I am most proud of.
10. If you weren’t an artist, what would you be instead?
When I first went to university I had planned to be a genetic engineer or a lawyer. I still find both interesting but lean towards the genetics as there are plenty of lawyers in the world already.
11. What is the tough thing about being an artist, and what is the great aspect of it?
The primary positive and negative aspects of being an artist are actually the same thing. My art is a personal reflection of me. This is great because it is mine and mine alone and I have a hell of a lot of fun creating my work. It is negative because it makes me feel very vulnerable when exposing it to any potentially negative feedback.
Busy Day in the Harbor
12. What is your schedule as an artist… Do you work by day or night, or both, and do you work as long as you please, or do you slate particular time frames for creating?
I work whenever the mood strikes. I do take myself into my studio at least five days a week. Some days I am only working on my computer making tweaks to my website or researching for inspiration. But I put myself here so that my tools are readily available when inspiration strikes. I have also been known to drive myself here in the middle of the night if I am hit with an idea that I just have to get onto canvas as soon as possible. ;)
Sterling Studio
13. How do you market and promote your artwork or portfolio website?
I am constantly sharing my work on social media, in person when meeting with new friends, and through art fairs or gallery shows when possible. I have applied my art to tons of products that have brought me exposure such as clothing and skateboards. If I am going to dress up I might as well do so in my own art! I event went so far as to have a custom saree made for my best friend’s daughter’s wedding. The most successful outlet for my work, however, is in person in my studio. My work is such that a little photo online just can’t do it justice. You have to “meet” the work at scale and absorb it’s impact.
14. Do you have any exciting, heartening, disheartening, or alarming customer tales?
I have done numerous commissions. In several instances (sometimes many months after a piece has been delivered) I have received calls or emails telling me about hidden images or messages that appear embedded in my work. These were never intentional on my part… but by keeping the person or theme in mind as I painted they came through in the gestures of my work. For example, a dear friend requested a piece for her home that was reflective of her family. The only other direction I was given was the color of the paint on her living room wall. I painted a piece that had very energetic strokes and was imbued with the excitement they have for outdoor activities as a family. What they noticed later was that when viewed from a distance several of the strokes combined to spell out the word “family”!
15. Is it sometimes tough to part with a piece you created because you put so much of yourself in it?
There are works that I have a hard time putting up for sale. Sometimes there is a deep emotional tie to something in the piece, other times it is purely because I love the work so much and want to hang it in my own home! One in particular was awarded an international grand prize for abstract art. It was inspired by colors seen on my honeymoon. That piece has a double hit for me wanting to hold onto it. :)
16. Do you gift loved ones and friends with art, or keep those realms separate and view it strictly as a business?
I do occasionally gift art to friends and family. However, when I sell my work to friends and family I do so at my full rate. This is my business. I pay my friend who I sometimes ask for legal advice. I pay my family member who provides service on my vehicle. It is a matter of respecting their professions.
Wonder
17. What do you want to tell readers about the art world?
Don’t be intimidated! There is no “wrong” way to view art. Find art that touches you in some way… that makes you stop and look, that makes you feel, that makes you think. Maybe a piece makes you feel warm whereas another may make you sentimental for your childhood and yet another makes you feel anxiety. Your reactions, likes, dislikes, etc are your own. They are never wrong.
18. How did you choose the particular type of art you create over other types of art? Do you go through phases where you’ll try different mediums, sizes, styles of art, or do you deep dive into the area you want to fully fathom?
I am always playing and trying different things… but my primary style is driven entirely by my emotions and love of color. I may try a different technique or tool or even a different style, but I always find my way back to pure emotion on canvas.
19. Where can readers purchase your art?
My work is available for purchase directly from me in my studio or via my website jensterling.com. There are also a number of pieces currently showing in several galleries. The best thing to do is sign up on my website for my monthly email. I share all new work with my list first so they often get purchased before they are available to the public at large.
20. Do you have any insightful tips for emerging artists?
Have a thick skin.
Keep a three to six-month buffer in your savings account.
Never stop learning.
Gather inspiration everywhere you go.
Be true to your own vision.
Treat your art like a business.
Know that you are an Artist with a capital A.
