Meet Jennie Mizrahi | Artist and Art Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennie Mizrahi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennie, how do you think about risk?
In general, I don’t consider myself a risk taker. But there are major exceptions to this, and these exceptions are what have given shape to my life. Risk taking and a personality trait called openness to experience are key for creativity. You have to be willing to try something, fail at it, then work at it again to improve, or even to figure out what you are trying to say and how best to say it. And this is vital to who I am and how I engage in the world. I have a day job teaching, which I love, and it pays the mortgage and gives me health insurance. This mollifies the fiscal conservative inside me. But it also gives me the freedom to be able to pursue my artwork in the way that I want, to find the audience that likes what I am doing, rather than to have to cater to what an audience expects. This comes out most in the fact that I consistently create and sell works that are of two drastically different styles (something artists are told not to do). I paint realistic landscapes and still lives, investigating how we see color and value (lights and darks) in brushstrokes that create the illusion of space. But I also used mixed media to investigate texture, shape, and symbolism. Each type of art feeds the other. But doing this has the potential to confuse my collectors. It is a risk.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have been an artist all of my life, but I have not always been faithful to one medium or style. I’ve been more of a serial monogamist. I started out as a figure sculptor, moved on to ceramics, and am currently working in paint and mixed media (OK, not quite a monogamist right now!). This fluidity between 2 and 3 dimensional work has given me a huge range of tools to draw from. I’m proud of my technical skills, but also that I no longer feel bound by these. Rather than striving for perfection, I strive for a sense that the work feels “right,” consistent with itself and with the emotion, experience, or idea that I am trying to achieve. This lets me be loose when I want to be, leaving brushstrokes visible and energetic, preserving a balance between control and chaos or happy accident, but drilling down into detail or vivid color in when I need to. Along the way I have learned that I don’t need to control everything, but I need to be open to what is happening in the moment. The vision I start out with may be the one I stick to, or it might not. I need to let the work breathe, and have a say it where it is going. My artwork has taught me this, but so has 20 years of teaching art at a public high school. I have to be radically open, to my experiences, my students, my artwork, and myself. Goals and judgement can help, but they can also be obstacles. Tranquility and joy are key to finding my way through, and I hope that they are also part of my audience’s experience of my work.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My husband and I just found a beautiful lake in Roosevelt National Forest a little way up a 4 wheel drive road from the highway, with a beautiful view of the Mummy Range. I would take them there with our kayaks and a good set of hiking boots so we could boat and hike in the beautiful mountains. From there, if the timing was right, I’d take them to the Lyon’s folk festival for a couple of days of great music and songwriting workshops. We’d definitely go out for sushi, but I would also cook for them, with salmon on the grill, veggies and spices from the garden, and crème brule with my homegrown raspberries on the side. Or we might go to the wool festival in Estes Park and spend some time in Rocky Mountain National Park. Meow Wolf in Denver would also make the list.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people who gave me support and inspiration: My elementary and high school art teachers Mrs. Rouseau and Don Buddy, who helped me love my work and have confidence in its quality, and who (along with the Maryland Science Center) helped me see that teaching could also be part of my journey. Connie Bethards and Connie Steward who demonstrated work/life balance with grace. My parents who encouraged me to follow my own path to art school and beyond, and my very patient husband and fellow artist Brandt Edwards, who is my rock and my second brain.

Website: https://www.mizrahiarts.com

Instagram: @mizrahiarts

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