Congratulations to artist Jenny Jurcsisn, our latest Instagram winner! Based in Dayton, Ohio, Jenny draws inspiration from her science background to create alcohol ink fluid art, topped with epoxy resin: " I paint highly textured and layered fluid ink pieces that range from delicate and airy to bright and galactic to dark and grimy."
Does where you're from or where you currently live influence your work?
Absolutely. There are so many talented visual artists here in Dayton, and I am always drawing inspiration and motivation from them.
What's your art background? Are you self taught or did you study art?
I have no formal art training per se, though I'd like to think the time I've spent in museums and galleries has helped to train and guide my eye.
Are you a full time artist or do you create around work hours?
My primary job is teaching biology at Sinclair College here in Dayton and so I paint in my spare time.
What do you love about the mediums that you use?
Alcohol ink has the ability to produce organic-looking shapes and textures that are more difficult to achieve with thicker, opaque media like acrylic and oil paints. It's also quite beginner friendly for this reason - anyone can pick up a bottle of ink and a piece of yupo and with a little effort, make something that looks unique and interesting.
When did you discover resin?
Late 2017. I had seen other artists preserve flowers and plants in resin trays and jewelry and thought why not try finishing my art with it?
How has resin impacted your artwork?
Because my work is very layered and detailed, resin as a topcoat is able to bring out the dimension and texture of my work. The pieces I choose to leave matte don't sell nearly as well. I suppose we're all magpies at heart.
Can you provide a brief rundown of your process?
I start by painting with inks on some kind of non-porous surface like yupo or acetate. After a piece is completed and dry, I seal them with a water-based varnish. The piece is then mounted to a stained wooden panel and covered in at least one coat of resin. I finish the wood with a conditioning coat of beeswax that brings out the color of the stain, and finally etch my signature on the back. One small painting will take me about two weeks minimum to complete.
Why do you want to make art? What motivates you to create?
I have always painted for fun on the side. Some days I have a very specific goal of bringing *this thing* living in my brain into reality, and other days I just want to be lost in a sea of color and couldn't care less about the results. My background in science also heavily influences my art. I find beauty in the growth patterns of bacterial cultures, or the swirling colors of serum assays, or imagining the tiny histological world from a single cell's point of view. People have told me how odd it strikes them that I hold these seemingly opposite interests, but I find that strict dichotomies in life - logic vs. creativity, male vs. female, light vs. dark - don't really exist. The majority of my professors and research colleagues have artistic side projects, be they visual, musical, culinary, or otherwise.
Does art help you in other areas of your life?
I wish I could say that art has cured my mental health problems, but of course it doesn't work that way. If anything, art teaches me that the process of learning something new, even if it is a slow process, is always worthwhile. It's helped me to branch out in other aspects of my life with less fear, like learning music.
What do you hope someone sees or feels when they look at your art?
Not everyone likes abstract art and those that do will all see something a little different. I've come to be happy when anyone feels anything about my work.
How do you define success as an artist? What does success look and feel like for you?
Unless you are very, very good at social media (or get lucky with the algorithm du jour), art as a primary income is almost impossible to achieve and so will never be my goal. Instead, I think being able to look back at my past work and not cringe is a decent measure of success.
Where do you sell your work?
I have a shop on my website (www.jennyj.ink) and you can sometimes find me peddling wares at various festivals and art shows around Dayton.
To see more of Jenny's work:
Congratulations on your win, Jenny!
Every month, to celebrate our community of artists, ArtResin will send out a 32 oz kit to two lucky people who have tagged us on Instagram, showing the work they've created with ArtResin.
Don't forget to tag YOUR ArtResin work with @art_resin on Instagram, and YOU could be our next winner!
ArtResin: Made For Artists, By Artists.
