Jenna von Benedikt
Connected to nature
Utah-based artist Jenna von Benedikt has long felt a connection to the natural world. In particular, the fauna of the places she has lived—stretching from her home country of England to the Rocky Mountains in America—has provided a wealth of resources and inspiration. And it’s not just the larger, familiar beasts, such as bison, that wind up on her canvases. Instead, von Benedikt has a particular fascination for hummingbirds, butterflies, bees and other insects that often go unnoticed but have a large role to play in nature.
“I think the big thing about my work is that it is building and keeping the connections with nature, and that’s what really prompts me,” she says, adding that connection is found in the animal, the colors and atmosphere. The pieces also show the relationships people have with animals, and the artwork has personal ties to von Benedikt’s own life.
For instance, her painting Journey of the Monarchy, with a swarm of monarch butterflies fluttering across a canvas with a hint of a cityscape in the background, is a nod to her English heritage with its title. “It’s a fun way for me to look back in a way on my heritage and know where I came from,” von Benedikt says. “I migrated to the United States, and that’s a lot like the butterfly reference and what animals do. Throwing in little twists every now and then more represents me as the artist. Once the image is out there, you can’t control what people think, but the titles can give a hint.”
Another one of her paintings, Stomping Ground, has a large bison in the middle and references her husband’s interests as he is an outdoorsman and grew up in the West. She explains, “He tried to introduce me to the mountains and these animals, and we’ve been out there together, gone places and driven all over seeing the wildlife…the animals themselves that lends more to my connection to my family and what we experience in the outdoors together.”
This summer, collectors will find these and other paintings by von Benedikt in her second solo exhibition at Gallery Wild in Jackson, Wyoming. Titled Birds, Beasts & Bugs, the show will be on view August 20 to 26.
For a direct link to the exhibiting gallery go to www.westernartcollector.com