Jenny Honnert Abell

 

Jenny Honnert Abell's artistic inquiries began as a young child, as she learned to indulge her imagination. Born to a family deeply involved in the arts, her creative side was always nurtured and encouraged. Art lessons, museum visits, and concerts were frequent. An early appreciation for beauty and attention to the details of nature informed her development. A passionate, strong-willed side often derailed formal structure in favor of a stubborn independent streak always focused on creative endeavors. While enrolled in the University of Cincinnati's fine arts program, family circumstances interrupted her pursuit of a degree. She has thus been a primarily self-taught artist, having always made the activities that feed her art-making practice her life’s focus.

 

Abell is represented by multiple galleries in the US. Overseas, her work has been shown in Canada, England, Switzerland, and Senegal. A recent commission by the State Department’s Art in Embassy program honored her with a trip to Dakar, Senegal in West Africa where she was given the opportunity to experience the people and culture there. Reflections on that experience resulted in a series of ten pieces now exhibited in the permanent collection of the US Embassy in Dakar. Abell's work resides in numerous private collections, including world-class collections at Hall Winery in Napa, California and Imagery Estate Winery, in Glen Ellen, California. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Abell has lived and worked in Santa Rosa, California since 1995. 

 

 

Artist's Statement

 

Life is uncertain. We face difficult trials and obstacles that present us with opportunity. We are tested continuously. In doing my work, I have found this chaos can be deflected by escaping into the myriad pleasures around me every day. Such gifts as remarkable beauty, human generosity, written wisdom, material abundance, and ingenious invention, all nourish and push my curiosity. In addition to these current, sensual, daily encounters, the memory of opulent illustrations from a fairytale book given to me at the age of four long ago cemented my need to create fantastic imagery that can challenge my demons and difficulties in life. While it is my foremost intention to construct work that is immediately pleasing, an element is always present pointing to the underlying truth of unfairness and inequality in life that touches us all. I consider the dark side of humanity, which is illustrated by quietly suggesting a degree of discomfort. The coexistence of beauty and adversity in my work presents an honesty that gives me a place to find strength from, a place from which I can flourish.