Wait. What?

I hit about ten years of artistic uncertainty. Not a block. Uncertainty. I filled a lot of sketchbooks with collages, non-representational and representational drawings, color palette ideas, and abstract writing. Occasionally, I dove back into oil painting outside of the sketchbooks, but everything I made felt like pieces of a puzzle I couldn’t quite solve.

I started introducing symbolism into my oil paintings, including a series of large-scale works where I outlined the United States mainland. Why? Because… ’Merica. This is also where my political pieces started to emerge. For those works, full abstraction went out the window. Frustration has a way of silencing my words when I’m face-to-face, so I find my voice in my art.

This past spring, I stopped treating my mixed-media work like something I could shut inside sketchbooks and forget. Instead, I leaned into collage, moving my ideas onto acrylic paper and exploring them more deeply. Collage combines everything I love: layers, paint, images, words, and color. And masking tape! Why is masking tape so beautiful?

My abstract thoughts have also started showing up in my pieces. I’m not here to explain anything, and I’m not a poet. Words are just another layer. Fragments of thought are embedded in the composition. For a long time, I posted a Frank Stella quote on my studio wall: “If you want to say something, words will work.” As an abstract painter, I agreed with him. Words didn’t feel necessary in my work, even though I admired artists who could pull it off.

With mixed media, I’ve started pushing back against the idea that words must explain. In my art, they’re more like fragments of abstract thought. Pieces of a puzzle that shape meaning. Sometimes, they even get a laugh. That’s been another big shift: I’ve stopped treating art like a competitive sport.

Instead, I want to create work that starts a conversation. Especially if it begins with a confused laugh! Let us celebrate that awkward confusion! All of us know what we like. Artists should never shut people out just because they did not study or do not make art themselves. Tell me you don't like it, just tell me why. I always appreciate constructive, thoughtful feedback. The same thing goes for praise. The only thing you need to know about art is your gut reaction!

-Jenn Thompson, February 2025