About the Artist
Mimi Jensen is fascinated by the way things look. She translates that attentiveness into art by painting in a meticulously composed and refined manner. Jensen's widely collected work ranges from imaginary realism to the still life. Each piece begins when some simple detail—the shadow on a drawn window shade, an elegant black and white Balinese fabric—catches her eye. Jensen's intent in painting it is to entice the viewer to linger long enough to see and contemplate what otherwise might be overlooked. Although her settings evidence a human presence, no one is there at the captured moment. It's up to the viewer to supply a narrative.
But Jensen also harbors a lifelong love of language, so she enjoys nudging that narrative with thoughtfully chosen titles for her work. Many evoke whimsy ('Hot') or wit ('Pair' and 'Family Reunion'). Some derive from personal experience — 'Homage' identifies a favorite New York café scene she happened to be painting at the time of 9/11. Occasionally, a title occurs to her first ('Gin is from Juniper'), and the portrayal follows its lead.
When she finds a particularly inviting subject or concept, Jensen stays with it, working in series ('City Interior' or 'Upstairs Downtown') until some new detail attracts her attention.
In her STILL LIFE work, Mimi Jensen presents an often playful mix of everyday objects. With a photographer's eye for composition, she chooses things that intrigue or please or even annoy her. Jensen then carefully arranges the sometimes quirky ensemble, which she paints life-size from an orthographic perspective. She hopes the viewer will notice each element's texture and color and shape, and examine the interplay of the whole. The allure of the still life revived in 2003, when an invigorating workshop experience inspired her to paint in a realistic style she'd never before considered.
In her INTERIORS, Mimi Jensen paints edges, shadows, and glimpses that suggest only a hint of what's beyond. Sparked by an object observed, often one touched by an intricate play of light and shadow, Jensen takes that inspiration and builds an imagined environment around it. By incorporating walls and windows into her work, or doors and floors, she segments the elements into a calm and harmonious construction. Jensen paints what she wants you to see. But she also urges the viewer to pause and consider what has not been emphasized or has been left out. As she herself does, Jensen wants the viewer to wonder what's around that corner.
Chance and imagination dominate Mimi Jensen's HORIZONS work. This imagined realism adds an unexpected sensuousness and compelling beauty to familiar objects. The truths in her paintings draw from any number of sources—relationships, voyages, balance. Both intrusion and a touch of romance might also find their way onto the canvas. These richly realized spaces might welcome pears or bridges or balls. One scene embellishes reality, another interprets the public domain through an abandoned arrangement of chairs. Whatever her theme, Jensen's careful use of scale and color seduces the viewer into entering unknown terrain.
Biography
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
- 2007 Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, CA
- 2004-1994 Bi-annual Solo Exhibitions at Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, CA
- 1992,91,90,89 Convergence Gallery, San Francisco, CA
- 1993 So. Bay Contemporary Museum, Sales & Rental Gallery, Torrance, CA
- 1990 "Paper Shadows", PVAC Collectors Gallery, Palos Verdes, CA
- 1988 Fred Segal, Santa Monica, CA
- 1988 The Wave, Playa del Rey, CA
- 1987,86 WSL Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
PUBLICATIONS, AWARDS, REVIEWS
- 2007 California Home+Design, p.74, September 2007 issue, San Francisco, CA
- 2007 "Natural Curiosities", American Art Collector, pp. 138-141, Sept 2007 Issue, Vol. 23, Scottsdale, AZ
- 2005 Cover Art, Strategies for Reading & Arguing About Literature, Prentice Hall, NJ
- 2004 Nott, Robert, "Valentine's Stroll", The New Mexican, 2/13/04
- 2002 Cover Art, Short Fiction, Classic & Contemporary, 5th ed, ed. Bohner, Prentice Hall, NJ
- 2000 New American Paintings, Vol.31, Open Studios Press, Wellesley, MA
- 1999 Cover Art, Short Fiction, Classic & Contemporary, 4th ed, ed. Bohner, Prentice Hall, NJ
- 1999 "Connecticut Review", Fall 1999 Issue, New Haven, CT
- 1999 Cover Art, Reading Lessons, Carpenter, Prentice Hall, NJ
- 1997 "Hayden's Ferry Review", Fall/Winter 1997 Issue, Tempe, AZ
- 1997 Poet's Market, ed. Martin, Writer's Digest Books, Cincinnati, OH
- 1996 Cover Art, "Hayden's Ferry Review", Fall/Winter '95 Issue, Tempe, AZ
- 1995 Award of Excellence, "Manhattan Arts International", Summer '95 Issue
- 1994 Finalist, "Northwest Poets and Artists Calendar"
- 1993 Silver Award, "Art of California Magazine Discovery Awards", Winter Issue
- 1991 "Art Business News", April '91
- 1990 L. Montgomery, "Artist Captures Quiet Solitude in Exhibit", News-Pilot, 3/90
- 1988 R. Trotter, "Muscarelle Has Visual Feast...", The Virginian-Pilot, 4/88
- 1987 C. Curtis, "'87 'Images' A Cut Above Usual", L.A. Times, 8/87
- 1985 S. Gottlieb, "Visions with Feminine Perspective", L.B. Press-Telegram, 10/85
- 1985 -1997: Numerous Awards in Juried Exhibitions
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
- 2007,05,03 "Arcadia: Artists Celebrate Trees" Invitational, San Francisco, CA
- 2005 Chicago Contemporary & Classic, Chicago, IL
- 2005 Art Miami, Miami, FL
- 2004 Affordable Art Fair, New York, NY
- 2003 WAM 20th Anniversary Invitational Exhibition, Long Beach, CA
- 1997 Golden West College Fine Arts Gallery, Huntington Beach, CA
- 1996 Gallery Concord, Concord, CA
- 1996 Sacramento Fine Arts, Sacramento, CA
- 1990 BACA, Berkeley, CA
- 1990 Bay Area Discovery Museum, Sausalito, CA
- 1989 Laguna Gloria Art Museum, Austin, TX
- 1989 Hatley Martin Gallery, San Francisco, CA
- 1989 Art Institute -Permian Basin, Odessa, TX
- 1988 Muscarelle Museum of Art, Williamsburg, VA
- 1988 Cafe Montana, Santa Monica, CA
- 1988 Beckstrand Gallery, Palos Verdes, CA
- 1988 The Woman's Building, Los Angeles, CA
- 1987 Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, CA
- 1987 California State University Gallery, Long Beach, CA
- 1986 Horizon Gallery, Manhattan Beach, CA
- 1986 San Diego Art Institute, San Diego, CA
- 1985 "Women Art Makers" (4-Person Show), Hippodrome Gallery, Long Beach,CA
EDUCATION
Graduate Studies, Drawing and Painting, Photography, CA State University Long Beach
B.A., Psychology, California State University Northridge
COLLECTIONS
More than 150 collections throughout the United States, Russia, Europe, Australia and Asia
