The FunFunFour: Jenny Keith
Four questions. Two serious, two not so serious. Our first guest is Funicular’s Volume 2 cover artist, Jenny Keith.
1 // THE SERIES OF PAINTINGS FUNICULAR IS USING FOR ITS COVERS ARE STRIKING IN THEIR COMPOSITION. THE ARRANGEMENT IS REMINISCENT OF A COAT OF ARMS, WITH EACH ELEMENT HOLDING SOME SIGNIFICANCE. WHAT INSPIRED THE SERIES AND, PARTICULARLY, THE UNIQUE LAYOUT?
Funicular is using the rabbits from my "Seasonal Animal" series. I've created paintings featuring bears, foxes and rabbits, in each of the seasons. In each painting, the central animal is surrounded by elements that would be part of their environment during that time of the year. They feature food the animal would eat, plants that would be in their habitat, other creatures they may share that space with, and possible predators as well. The composition has a balanced feel, but without perfect symmetry. I wanted to show that even when things are relatively stable, an animal's environment is always in flux. I like your "coat of arms" suggestion - that's very much what I was going for. They're snapshots of the animal's surroundings, with all the key elements, but arranged neatly, and thoughtfully, presented like an emblem, rather than a realistic moment in time.
I was inspired to paint these beasts in particular, because their lives are shaped so much by the seasons here in Alberta. The bears fatten up and hibernate, the foxes feast during lush months and scavenge when they need to, and the rabbits change their coats and feed on what is available throughout the year. These are portraits, not just of the individual animals, but of their lives and how they are connected to other living things around them.
2 // YOU’VE BEEN KNOWN TO INCORPORATE BEESWAX INTO YOUR ART. DO YOU EVER EAT IT WHILE WORKING WITH IT? BE HONEST.
No one eats beeswax, silly—it's the honey you eat. That being said, it smells delicious and does make me hungry.
3 // IS THERE A THEME OR VISUAL YOU‘RE OBSESSED WITH?
Always. It changes, but it's always living or organic things. I enjoy predator/prey relationships, and I particularly love the anthropomorphization of their subtle facial expressions. My favourite parts are the wet highlights in the eyes - getting that gleam juuuust right.
4 // YOUR WORK OFTEN INCLUDES ANIMALS. ARE THERE ANY ANIMALS YOU THINK KIND OF SUCK AND AREN’T WORTHY OF PORTRAITURE? IF NO, HAVE YOU EVEN SEEN A BLOBFISH? GROSS.
Okay. I know this is kind of a joke, but this might be my favourite question that I've ever been asked and I'm going to answer it very seriously. First - blobfish are fucking amazing and I love them and yes, they are indeed gross. I also adore naked mole rats, which look almost exactly like Vietnamese salad rolls with little rodent teeth stuck on the outside, gulper eels that I'm almost certain are some kind of Jim Henson prank, and hyraxes, which are little buck-toothed, rock dwelling dumb-dumbs related to elephants. I met a wild manatee who we named Pascal, who rubbed his face on my foot and looked EXACTLY like a giant potato. I nearly got ejected from the Calgary Zoo for laughing wildly at the peccaries because they are bristly, narrow-headed piggies with hilarious tusks. I cannot get enough of any animal that makes me shout, "That's NOT a real thing!". I name the spiders who live in my house, and my husband lives in fear of accidentally vacuuming them up. I could go on and on - I genuinely love them all, and find joy and value in every one of them.
Except centipedes. They are nasty, hideous, irredeemable monsters with way too many legs and I may have nightmares just from typing the word. Ugh.
...and some humans.
About Jenny KEITH
Jenny Keith is a contemporary artist based in Edmonton, Canada. She is a graduate of the University of Alberta where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, specializing in painting and sculpture. Jenny's body of work features acrylic and mixed media paintings. Her work has been showcased in galleries and private collections across Canada and internationally. Often created by layering acrylic paint with etched beeswax, she creates whimsical and textured artwork. Her subject matter often includes images of animals and natural curiosities, humans, and abstract views of microscopic biology.