Biography

Painter Jenay Elder has been painting and residing in Southern Oregon since 2006. With an early interest in art Jenay studied art throughout school and independently before pursuing training in a classical fashion in a four year Atelier program at The Ashland Academy of Art (now Atelier Maui). Jenay currently teaches portrait and cast drawing at The Ashland Art Center as well as children’s art classes.

Jenay’s work has been featured in gallery shows around Oregon, including the UVAA 30 under 30 exhibit and is in private collections around the U.S.A. From portraiture, figurative and still life oil painting to outdoor scenes, Jenay’s style could be described as representational, textured and colorful.

Jenay’s artwork is inspired by daily life, family and her surroundings in beautiful southern Oregon. She aspires to create art that uplifts people’s hearts and reflects her community’s spirit of well being and freedom of expression while constantly experimenting with new ideas and subject matter. Favorite artists and influences include Mary Cassatt, Jessie Willcox Smith, Henry Hensche, NC Wyeth, J.C. Leynedecker, Vincent Van Gogh, Johannes Vermeer, Michelangelo and Monet, among many others.

When not painting, Jenay enjoys writing, photography, playing piano and spending time with her inspiring family in beautiful Southern Oregon.

Artist Statement

Portraiture is the study of expression and the art of capturing a moment in time. Portraits can be beautiful, “grotesque”, odd, or “perfect” and it can mean so much to a person that they would hold onto it for generations, steal it, hide it, and protect it at any cost. Every portrait I create reflects my life experience as an artist, teacher, mother, woman and wife. I believe that portraiture is more than just capturing a likeness or face. It is an interface between the sitter, artist and viewer that is special.

We interact with the world with our faces. We know each other and our loved ones by the very special shapes and proportions that each of us have. We all have a story and a unique window to interface the world. ‘Interface’ brings “inter” (meaning: between, among, in the midst of, mutually together, and during) with the word “face”, which is a perfect word for how I view creating a portrait painting or drawing. It is a bringing together, a mutual give and take, focused on the human face.

Portfolio: