First piece that made it into a show - circa 1973
About
Jennifer Chadwick grew up in a small mountain town in Southern California. She currently lives and works in Claremont, CA as an artist and freelance graphic designer. She received her Master of Fine Arts from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 2016.
Statement
For as long as I can remember, people will pause mid-conversation, turn to me and say, “You’re strange.”
I don’t disagree. I often seem to be saying an odd thing at the wrong time or making a bizarre observation. My way of looking at the world is less in alignment with the rules and roles society seems to agree on. My work is playful. It’s about owning my oddity and exploring that freedom materially and conceptually.
I start with traditional materials—paint, ink, pencil, canvas, paper—but it never feels right until I break the painting apart and re-create it: cut it up, sew it, glue it, or stuff it. Destruction and reconstruction of the various materials often develop into a figure or an abstract, messy, complicated pile. It’s not really assemblage, sculpture, or collage but borders on all three. It can be awkward, tender, whimsical, ugly or full of pillow stuffing.
I aspire to make work that looks back at the viewer with its own beautifully absurd point of view.