Gallery Opening on First Friday, August 2, 5-8 PM
Gallery Opening is Free & Open to All, with Works Available for Purchase
Exhibiting in the Blackfoot Communications Gallery through August

To view & purchase artwork, visit: https://givergy.us/ZACCJenniferBaylis/

The ZACC is thrilled to present An Inward Gaze, works by Jennifer Baylis, in the Blackfoot Communications Gallery throughout August. Works are available for purchase, and the artist will be present at the opening reception.

ABOUT THE ART
The paintings in this series grew out of my emotional and spiritual experiences over the past year coming to terms with my mom’s Alzheimer’s disease and declining health. Slowly and subconsciously as I painted a theme emerged. The subjects of the paintings turn away from the viewer to look inward, away from pain and death as I also wished to do.  Previously my portraits featured a direct gaze, but looking away from death whether in my life or in my art made me aware of my resistance to the inevitable, a resistance I would have to surrender.  Surrendering led to another shift in my painting style.  Figures dissolved into fragmented backgrounds suggesting a liminal space beyond ordinary reality.

Stylistically my work combines classical realism with expressive painterly qualities and alla prima (wet-into-wet) techniques.  There is symbolic imagery in each piece that chronicles my journey.  I paint from a place of peace, connected to my authentic self.  When my mind is quiet it is receptive to what the painting needs.  It is an exciting process of discovery.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Jennifer Baylis is a Missoula-based figurative and portrait painter. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Art in 1997 from UCLA with an emphasis on drawing and painting. She  then worked as an Education and Public Programs Manager at the Orange County Museum of Art and the Long Beach Museum of Art before moving to Montana. She developed educational programming for children and adults, trained docents, and led tours and art workshops.  

She’s had a life-long love for portraiture.  In 2020 during the first year of the pandemic she began a series of portrait paintings featuring the direct gaze.  She captured some expressing their isolation and moods during lockdown. She explored old master classical painting techniques utilizing grisaille, or black and white underpainting layered with transparent color.  Later she shifted to “alla prima” style, working wet-into-wet in a single sitting in the manner of early 20th century Realist painters. Since then she worked to develop her own personal style that is both timeless and true to the moment. She seeks to express nuances of moods, feelings and mind states while hinting at spiritual themes as inspiration flows from her life experience.

She has shown in solo and group shows in California and Missoula and has work in private collections.  In November 2022 her solo show, “Sparkles and Gloom,” at Frame of Mind Gallery showcased many of her pandemic era portraits. In March 2024 her solo show “Eye Traps” was featured at Break Espresso.  She has shown work at the Radius Gallery, the ZACC, Frame of Mind, and the Confluence Center.