Jennifer Leach
Assistant Professor
Printmaking
M.F.A UT, Knoxville
Phone: 615-963-5921
Office: Elliott(WB)
Email: cup_of_shuga@Yahoo.com
As I fell asleep, I wished to be anything besides an artist. I wished I was one of those artist that loves and believes completely in their ability. I wished to be one of those artists that wows the crowd with every seemingly produced piece. At 3:00 in the morning, I woke with ideas for three prints. I processed the images step by step down the dream of the endless hallway. I was stuck in the groove of a broken record. I think of the DJs that scratch the same place, building a beat. I need music to work. A repeated beat keeps my mind in focus. I can grasp the OCD. It was winter. I was at the gas station. The leaves were off the trees. I could see across the street into the valley that before was hidden by green. Rows of houses were separated by roads. Houses lost individual identity. My eyes read across them left to right looking for a statement. I put my gas cap back on, and drove away looking as long as could, holding in a grammar used by those speaking in tongue. Making art is research that helps me figure out the languages. I imitate phrases I hear, picking up the accent. I hold onto places like I hold to people. Both tell me stories I can make a part of something tangible and make-believe. It’s about my reality. My mom asked me, “Why don’t you use pretty colors?” I think I do. I use colors that make my world beautiful. I make art to make my world beautiful.