Jenn Houle's current body of work focuses on North American wildlife and the cycles of energy in nature. Her process involves a lot of research on different animals, including their behavior, diet and anatomy. She documents this research in sketchbooks and playfully reorganizes the information at this stage. In final pieces, she uses watercolor and inks on paper, mylar and yupo paper.
Jenn lives and works in Jamaica Plain, MA and grew up in Newton, New Hampshire. In 2007, she received a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art, focusing on painting and printmaking. Her work has been shown recently at Lynn Arts, Samson Projects, Gallery 263 and the 808 Gallery. In August she will be attending a residency at the Vermont Studio Center. Her love of nature stems from her childhood, spending summers camping and hiking and winters skiing. Jenn continue to travel to natural areas to rejuvenate, most recently Baxter State Park where she was inspired by watching moose.
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"Grizzly Eats"
2011
Watercolor on Paper
22"X30"
In this painting I have created a landscape composed entirely of different foods a grizzly bear eats to survive. In the background there are White bark Pine Trees that are dying. This alludes to the current threatened extinction of this vital food source (pine nuts) due to a non-native fungus (white bark blister rust) and mountain pine beetles, which are surviving through warmer winters thus damaging the trees.
"Knotweed Sea" 2011 Watercolor on Paper 22"X30"
The American Bison has survived from being practically exterminated by over hunting, now surviving in small numbers throughout the United States. Japanese Knotweed is an invasive plant that is overtaking the land and choking out native species. This painting examines the dynamic between invasive and threatened species.
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