Oh dear! I originally intended to publish this post in January, but the months have flown! I’ve been having a bit of a very necessary sort out of all things in the house, including my art work. I try and do this each year because I produce a lot of work, but haven’t done so for a couple of years, and don’t I know it!
I feel like we have only just had Christmas. This design below is one I made into a banner and we have it hanging in our living room as a kind of worship focus point. Initially we put it up one Christmas, but then decided we liked it so much it’s up there all the time now”
Liturgical Art; Holy Holy Holy Visual Art Work by Jenny Meehan
“Holy, Holy, Holy” shown above is a rather Christmassy kind of design I think, and we have it above our fireplace along with many candles and lights. It’s almost like an altar cloth of a sort. Certainly a focal point. We certainly use it as a focus when we are either spending some time in prayer, meditation or contemplation of various kinds.
This artwork “Holy Holy Holy” also really makes me think of healing. Its the way it’s quite fragmentary yet holds together, and how it suggests to me the Trinity, with it’s central expression of love in relationship and unity between persons of the Trinity, in dynamic relationship.
“Ten Thousand Years” and “Womankind” A Digital Collage and Painting
Ten Thousand Years by Jenny Meehan
This is the digital collage. The painting is similar. I find it interesting to experiment with various possibilities in the images I produce. Being able to use digital software means I can do this in a straightforward manner. One should not think less of an artwork because it has been executed in any particular medium. Paint is my real love, but I also get immense amounts of pleasure and interest from working digitally. A digital dimension is part of the world we now live in. I love the physicality of materials and I love the immense flexibility of digital imagery. Thankfully I have invested a great deal of time from my very early days (2008 onwards) in learning various techniques in Photoshop, etc. However, now, with the various apps and vast array of tools, the digital dimension is even more enticing. I don’t mind being enticed! It doesn’t stop me painting!
Womankind painting by British Artist Jenny Meehan. You can buy my original painting “Womankind” direct from me. It’s unframed on grey board. Please contact me directly for more details. This painting is also available as an affordable unsigned print via redbubble, the well known online print on demand marketplace.
These two artworks are yet more which utilize a circle in some way. These are popping up everywhere in my work right now, though you couldn’t tell it because I don’t publish everything on the internet! As I said, the first work “Ten Thousand Years” is a Digital Collage; in this case I have used an image of a painting in progress and taken it to a new place by using digital software with it. I like doing this. In some sense using two methods of mark making, both my hand in the painting of the circle and then bringing into play the digital tools at my disposal felt very fitting, especially as I reflect on change and the passage of time which does impact of any kind of expression of course, as well as providing new artists tools, mediums and forms. I quite often play with glitches via digital software, and just the same as an accidental spillage or splatter of paint can be a lot of fun, digital glitches too can be very exciting for an artist!
The second artwork is called “Womankind”. It’s a painting, and as is the case with a lot of my paintings over the last few years, I use my much loved sol-silicate paint “Soldalit” in it’s creation. Painting larger paintings has meant that to use environmentally friendly paint has become important to me. However, I have to confess the nature, quality, feel, etc of the paint is most probably what entices me towards it more than anything else. Not that I don’t care about it’s eco friendly paint qualities! However, because I use it for it’s qualities, I don’t take a purist approach with it in my painting practice. So this painting contains both Soldalit layers and acrylic paint. They have different qualities and characteristics and I value both. (Plus, even though I’m not buying anymore acrylic paints very much at all, I do have a lot to use up and I’m not going to be wasting them! )
This painting has my hand prints in it. I started adding finger and thumb prints to some of my artworks many years ago but have progressed to the whole hand now! I like the primitive, instinctual feel an element like this brings into a work. It’s childlike in one way maybe?
As for my personal reading of “Womankind” I’m still very much thinking about it. I’m always interested in how my paintings resonate with other people. In many ways it more interesting than my own at times. But this painting does have things to say to me. Just not sure what right now. Seems a bit of sadness in it. I do feel rather sad right now when I think about Womankind and how things are in the world. When I think about various kinds of suffering we incur due to our biological sex, for example, by the way the world is still very much a “Man’s World” and what both sexes loose from this. We all loose out. We all suffer as a result of inequalities.
I think I feel more conscious than I have previously of ways in which women are confined, controlled, and not allowed to speak out in so many contexts. I feel discouraged when I see how male dominated the canon of art history is, even while acknowledging that more effort has gone into readdressing this disparity in recent years. My concept of Creator God has altered over the years, and I now embrace God in my mind as He-She or She-He, rather than male. While it’s been kind of obvious that there is no reason God should be labelled as male, (apart from the obvious factor of mostly men being the writers of authoritative texts in the past), it still seeps into our thinking and prohibits the female awareness and the embracing of the divine feminine. My reading of some of the writings of Saint Julian of Norwich was one of the key influences which made a deep impression on me in this area. Actually, with that in mind, I can link this work to another much earlier one which I produced on a retreat at St Alphege’s Clergy House in Southwark several years back, but annoyingly I cannot locate that in my archive right now. I will post it when I find it.
It’s a bit of an aside, but I didn’t realise when I stayed at St Alphege’s Clergy House how recently it had become what it was! It only became a community house in 2009! I have just found this:
“Presiding at the ceremony was Bishop of Woolwich Christopher Chessun who noted that the gathering was taking place in the week of the 800th anniversary of foundation of the order. Bishop Christopher was vested in the mitre, cope and episcopal ring of Bishop Michael Fisher SSF, Minister General of the Society of St Francis, who died in 2003.
The five-strong community of Francisan and lay members, male and female, led the bishop round their new home for him to bless each room including the roof garden. The ceremony was briefly interrupted when incense being carried in procession triggered a fire alarm.
Fr Ray Andrews, in welcoming the Oratory of St Alphege to St George’s parish, said that it was Archdeacon of Southwark Michael Ipgrave who had the inspiration to suggest that that St Alphege Clergy House might become a suitable home for the community then in Brixton. “God opened every door and cleared every path that led to today.”
Sister Joyce, Minister General of sisters worldwide and a member of the St Alphege community, said: “Our journey from Brixton to Southwark has been for us a remarkable one of generosity writ large from the diocese. It’s been an experience of sudden death transformed into glorious resurrection so to have the house blessing on the feast of St Alphege in the Easter season seems right and proper.”
She promised a “ministry of hospitality and spiritual accompaniment” with the “beautiful house” as a resource to the parish, diocese and beyond.
Referring to her own wider responsibilities, Sister Joyce pointed out that not all the St Alphege community were Franciscan. “To refer us collectively as such is not quite right. We are still grappling with that in our day to day life. We do not have one of us in charge. It is a shared responsibility.”
The above text is quoted from: https://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/3843
Womankind Painting Print Poster to buy online at Redbubble.com
Above is a link to the poster version of “Womankind” by Jenny Meehan. The print is available on many other substrates too.
Affordable Art Prints by Jenny Meehan on Redbubble
As I have done with “Womankind” I upload selected artworks up onto Redbubble, meaning the products and prints can be manufactured by Redbubble and orders fulfilled directly by them. This is a far more ecologically friendly and efficient way of me organising prints of my work than printing them and sending them out myself.
There are thousands of artists on there, so it can be tricky to locate my specific art prints unless you have a link or the full artwork title.
If you are looking for a specific Jenny Meehan artwork then putting the title in (either Google or the Redbubble search engine) with “by Jenny Meehan” should get you to the right place. However, If you are having difficulty locating a specific Jenny Meehan Art Print on Redbubble, please do contact me directly via my blog with a screenshot of what you have seen and want and I will locate it for you and send you the link!
Nigel Fountain Brief Encounters (Oldie Magazine June 2014)
2014? Seriously? Well, I don’t know. I love the Google facility for pulling up images from the past and I tend to use it a lot to remind me what I was doing and when.
2014 is now 8 years ago! As well as using Google Photos as reminders, this is also why this Journal/blog is so useful to me. I look back and remember. I can then take a fresh view. It’s maybe learning from my own history as well as history in the wider sphere?
“Brief Encounters” was a series of articles written by Nigel Fountain who was a journalist/writer for The Oldie Magazine at that time, among many other things. The basic idea (as far as I understood at the time) was that Nigel met random strangers and spent some time asking them about their life. He then took his audio recording and wrote about them. I think this was a wonderful idea, and when it was briefly explained to me at the time, I also thought it wonderful then, which is why I agreed to be interviewed. I was another “random stranger”. Quite nice really.
I contacted Nigel Fountain and “The Oldie” Editor Harry Mount a couple of years ago because I wanted to use the article as part of my own writing. This writing (I won’t call it a book at this point) has Nigel’s article as part of one chapter. Permission was granted by both, with of course all due credit to it’s author Nigel Fountain and to The Oldie Magazine, Moray House, London http://www.theoldie.co.uk. ( I need to mention the book is still in progress… It’s been a slow process, mainly because I put it down and pick it up only occasionally. Not really the best way to write a book. But never mind. I tend to be over ambitious when it comes to what I can achieve, or rather THINK I can achieve. But it will be completed one day. And I am getting better at focusing on my writing as well as the visual art. It’s a lot easier now the children are older and I have longer periods of time in which I can work.
Anyway…
To Nigel’s writing we go.
PS… Nigel has written a lot of Obituaries. I feel very pleased to have been the subject of his writing, and his most skilled pen, while I am still ALIVE. (laughs) It feels kind of handy to have had mine written prematurely! (Though of course, it’s incomplete!)
I jest now, but the sad reality is, that two years before my interview, I did quite often wish myself dead, in the sense that I believed it would be easier than living, and I’d lost my sense of self and connection with myself in a terrible way. Indeed, I felt mostly dead inside emotionally, and wasn’t alive in the way I am now. I was functional and still able to do what I needed to in life in terms of housekeeping, caring for children, and producing art, which is amazing really when I think about it. But it was existing more than living I think. I was, I can see now, for several years increasingly depressed. It wasn’t good. But by the time I had my interview with Nigel Fountain I had reached a much better place, and while it was a bit re traumatizing to talk to another “random stranger” I count it as quite a gift to have had that interview and to be able to read the writing which came from it.
Here’s a bit on Nigel Fountain: (Wiki quote)
“Nigel Christopher Fountain (born 1944) is a British writer, journalist, editor and broadcaster. He has been a contributor to many publications including The Guardian, The Observer, The Sunday Times, New Statesman, The Oldie, Evening Standard, SoHo Weekly News, History Today, New Society, Oz magazine and Time Out. He is also the author of several books, including Underground: The London Alternative Press (1988).[1][2] He has also done documentary work for BBC Radio 4 and BBC2 on topics ranging from style magazines and the history of thrillers to dance halls and the events of 1968.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Fountain
Here is Nigel Fountain’s Article:
The Thames is grey and choppy and Jenny and I are sharing a bench on the South Bank in the afternoon. I ask her what she likes in London. She thinks about it. ‘Anything with water.’ Jenny is an artist. ‘I have been exhibiting for years. I don’t get much blooming money from it, but I had given up on that whole side of me ever happening. It is a key part of my life.’
Jenny is 49, she is wearing glasses, a green scarf, black top, Harvard-crimson trousers. ‘My mum used to have some impressionist prints, a flower thing by Cezanne, a Van Gogh, (The Sower), and there was Constable and Turner. I used,’ she says, ‘to escape into it. That is why painting is so important.’
Her mother was Swiss, more cultured – herbs and spices in the cupboard – than her locksmith father. The couple met on a rainy night in New Malden. He had served as a tank engineer in North Africa and Italy, picking up a shrapnel wound in his leg, a stabbing scar in his back and a serious drink problem. ‘ “Men are animals”, he would say,’ says Jenny. ‘He had some very unpleasant things to share about rolling over people.’ She has a good laugh – it takes in, I think, self-deprecation, nervousness and a wary assessment of the absurdities of things; The Book of Job must be in there somewhere.
Jenny was born in Isleworth, grew up in Teddington, the middle child, with an older sister. Her mother was a paranoid schizophenic. ‘She did have some affection, but she was quite disconnected,’ Jenny says. ‘My younger brother was the one I was closest to. I loved him.’
After Twickenham County Girls’ School, Jenny went on to Richmond Art College. Having started on Tip-ex and glue at 14, she graduated at college to nicotine, dope, speed and LSD, finally dropping out a month before the end of the course.
‘When I started to tell people that I had found some faith,’ she says, ‘they all thought I was stoned.’ In childhood she had attended Sunday school, and, meeting a Baptist friend at the end of her teens, felt he had something she wanted ‘The over-arching thing,’ she says, ‘was that God was love.’ The knowledge she was loved, she goes on, whooshed her out, gave her a security. I contemplate the the north bank of the Thames and Jenny, scratching her chin, avoids looking born again.
She moved out of home, and gravitated towards a charismatic church. ‘All the women wore Laura Ashley dresses and doilies on their heads. There was this emphasis on the holy spirit,’ she says, ‘which did all sorts of good things to me at the time. It was very different to my war-ravaged father. Later on it was back to the Baptists, and now,’ she laughs, ‘the Anglicans.’
In her early 20s, she was baptised.Two weeks later, she was raped. ‘At the time, I had a very distorted idea of what relationships were. And I stayed with this person! It is insane. I blamed myself and it was a kind of self-punishment to stay.’ Through her conviction of ‘God’s love and acceptance’, she says, she got out after a year. But, a few months later, she visited him. He raped her again.
Jesus, I say, inadvertently.
‘It was awful,’ she says, ‘really awful. It was several years later that I began to process it and talk about it.’
She worked as a dental nurse and later in an optician’s, the money was bad, but a grant gave her year at Hillcroft Women’s College in Surbiton. She had never seen herself at university, but in the early 1990s majored in English at Kingston University, and decided to go into teaching. She wasn’t expecting a relationship, but met a teacher, and they married in 1996, and have two children. With his support, she studied art at West Dean College in Sussex, and it was, she says, a catapult, a resurrection.
Some years back the thing that was too much happened, she says. ‘Out of all my family, my brother was like the best bit of my childhood, so when I think of what happened it was like my world just ended. Subjected to a ‘mindless act of drunken violence’ he was left brain-damaged, with a transformed personality. ‘You think he’ll get better,’ says Jenny, ‘and then I realised he wasn’t going to get better, and because of his changed way of thinking about things, I couldn’t really help.’ They finally lost contact four years ago. ‘When the reality sunk in, it was too much.’
Four years ago, drinking was becoming a problem, so she stopped. ‘As a child, I never had anyone to talk to,’ she says. These days a psychotherapist has helped change that.
‘My life has had a lot of experiences which have caused crises in my faith. But then doubt is not a bad thing, it is a good thing. In the end it is about being willing to be vulnerable.’
“Brief Encounters” was published in The Oldie magazine June 2014. I love it. Bit weird reading about myself, and hard to read my Dad described as “an alcoholic” and my mother as “a paranoid schizophrenic”, however, this is maybe the obituary style seeping in there? It’s fitting for the style, and what I learn from that is that sometimes the truth plainly said doesn’t make for an easy or gentle read.” It hits you in the eye a bit.
That’s not bad. Of course, my Mum and Dad were much more; people are complex and multifaceted; alcoholism and paranoid schizophrenia were sources of suffering for us all. A lot of my own creative work explores the role of compassion and love in the healing and resolution of trauma. But to put it bluntly does confront me in a way which is also helpful. Both had extended periods of time (years) when alcoholism and paranoid schizophrenia affected everyone in the family. And there were other periods when this was less so. But both did have a very major impact. There was “an alcoholic” and “a paranoid schizophrenic” personality “parent” in the house, even among the love and care my parent’s were able to give to me and my siblings. And though the labels are limited in what they can express, and don’t cover anything like the fulness and depth of anyone’s personality, I have found in my own journey to acceptance of my parents, that it also helps to face features and aspects of them even though we would prefer to protect them from such labels; labels being what they are, are always doing to be hard edged and uncomfortable. Interestingly, the words “an alcoholic” and “a paranoid schizophrenic” were the words I used; It was a time of facing up to things about my parent’s I had pushed away. So it is harsh.
I remember as I was speaking to Nigel feeling unreal; I couldn’t believe my own words even though it was all true. It seemed too dramatic; too traumatic; to believe. Even when I read the article several months later it sounded unbelievable. However, I am happy to say that due to the excellent therapy which I was only two years into at the time, I’m very much connected with myself and my past in a way that was traumatic then, but now feels a lot better and healthier.
I had a lot to say!. A lot to share. I can’t remember exactly but I’m sure I spoke for almost an hour. Nigel had an insightful air about him. A real interest in people and what makes them tick. He captured me very well at the time; better than I could have thought possible bearing in mind I was still rather in the deep myself about my life and how I felt about it. Where was I in it all? How was I in relation to what life had put my way? I had such a traumatic past. How could I be – just BE – in it all? I felt in “no mans land”, or maybe it was “limbo land”? It felt like both! By interviewing me and doing what he did with it in creating a piece of writing, this “random stranger” gave me an unexpected gift in the invitation to simply talk about myself. And talk I did…!
I have found in my life that blessings have come to me. They come unexpected, but timely. They are often little things, but not always. That meeting was a blessing, as was the result of it. In particular, a treasure for me, as well as the touches of humour which I love, was the choice of ending:
My life has had a lot of experiences which have caused crises in my faith. But then doubt is not a bad thing, it is a good thing. In the end it is about being willing to be vulnerable.’
This is something I continue to draw on and learn from. In particular, I remember some of my Dad’s vulnerable moments towards the end of his life, as well as my brother and sister’s, and it was at those that I felt truly, humanely, connected to them. There is an understanding there. We try so hard to be brave and tough and strong.
But in the end we are all vulnerable, and it’s probably a bit factor in why I am a Christian, because God is vulnerable too. To be both powerful and vulnerable is a paradox. Like many Godly things it seems. For me in my faith tradition Christ’s suffering on the cross and his life on earth act as a foundation for faith which I can identify with in a way which proves sustaining and life giving.
It’s surprising to me that I was able to talk so openly to another person at the time. I couldn’t speak of how I felt at all when I saw my GP in 2011. I didn’t feel… I was numb to myself and the world. I could speak about things which didn’t involve emotion, (things like what was for dinner, etc). But I couldn’t open myself up. I felt like an empty shell. And then I accessed some psychotherapy, and that started the ball rolling. I feel very strongly that the fact that I had access to analytical psychotherapy was very important. I needed to enter a process of psychoanalysis. CBT has it’s own merits but I really needed very deep interventions and by 2014, when I met Nigel, I was in a place to talk. There’s no way I could have done that a couple of years earlier. I was really emotionally constipated! Nothing could come out!
So the interview with Nigel Fountain was a great milestone for me. Apart from my therapist, I had still remained mostly closed up and to be able to speak to a total stranger in such an open and honest way in person was a big personal step forward.
I had started the to articulate with words my experiences of violence when answer questions for the academic project and art exhibition
“Speaking Out – Women Recovering from the Trauma of Violence” Embrace Arts at the RA Centre Leicester University, (Leicester 13 January – 28th March 2014) but though invited, I did not attend the event in person because I knew it would be too retraumatising to speak in person. It was challenging enough to write about! There’s no way I could speak, not even to one person (apart from my therapist) let alone more than one. Yet I could express myself via the visual art. And the questions I needed to answer were not easy to answer either. But both that project and the Nigel Fountain interview were big steps forward in 2014.
If I achieve my aim for this year, and devote more time to my writing, I hope to pull my own work which will be called “Some kind of narrative” together in a form accessible to others. The housekeeping and visual art are all pretty full on right now but I’ll do my best!
Patterns for Mental Health
I’ve found my pattern making a joy. Bit of a never ending journey but that’s what is nice. It’s like a kaleidoscope which I keep on turning. It’s relaxing and has been a good stress relief at times over this pandemic, especially over the Winter. Colour and light are always great but over Winter really make a difference to mood! Now Spring is here I’ve moved back into Painting more.
Always a fan of circles I needed of course to do a Corona Colours series: Coronavirus Art which was pure play and that’s just fine. It’s a low resolution image for the Web… As are all my blog images. Quality is lower by miles from the original bit gives you an idea.
Kingston Artists Open Studios is ON!
Hooray! Amazing! After a two year break it’s happening! AT LAST!
Contact me via the contact page here for more info! It takes place in June!
Well, bye for now. Sorry about the delay in the post. I aim to post once every couple of months. Hopefully better next time in that my post will be on time!
Do you need exciting, engaging, images for a book cover design?
My artwork is particularly suitable for themes of: faith, religion, philosophy, Christian, church, all faith traditions, inter-faith, spirituality, the subconscious, psychoanalytic themes, mindfulness, contemplative practices, healing, health, both physical and mental, trauma recovery, metaphysical and psychological focused writings, the devotional life, and many other subjects.
Indeed, pretty much any subject matter or theme which benefits from a more abstract graphic image; one which also conveys basic feelings and ideas in an open and experimental manner; would benefit from it’s clarity of communication being enhanced by one of my art images.
From the lyrical abstraction of some of abstract expressionist style textured paintings, to the geometric abstraction clear edged imagery, which I also produce, the value of non representational imagery in book cover design which is both colourful and interesting, and stimulates the eye with colour and striking composition, cannot be under estimated.
If you are looking for something particular, do contact me, because I only display a small amount on the internet and may even be able to create something specific to your needs, or be able to locate something from my extensive archives which meets your need.
Twitter: jennymeehan@jennymeehanart
https://linkedin.com/in/jennymeehanart
Follow Jenny Meehan! British Contemporary Artist’s Online Art Journal. Artist’s Blog/Art Journal. Posts published every two months.
TO FOLLOW THIS ARTIST’S BLOG SIMPLY GO TO THE RIGHT HAND COLUMN, LOCATE THE “FOLLOW” BOX AND POP IN YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS. You can select your preferred frequency of updates.
Who is Jenny Meehan? (Well… I’m still trying to work that one out…)
Jenny Meehan (Jennifer Meehan) is a painter-poet, artist-author and Contemplative (Christian faith tradition) based in East Surrey/South West London. Her interest in Christ-centred spirituality and creativity are the main focus of this artist’s journal, which rambles and meanders on, maybe acting as a personal (yet open to view) note book as much as anything else. Trauma recovery, mental health awareness, and psychotherapy/psychoanalysis are all very interesting. And yes; it’s me writing this. Feels odd… But it’s fun.
If you would like to give money to help support my creative practice I can accept it quickly and easily through the Paypal.me process. Simply put the following in your browser:
paypal.me/jennymeehan
and follow the prompts. Please consider supporting my work in this way if it strikes a chord with you and you are able to do so. Unfortunately there isn’t a system in this facility for me to send a thank you. But if you do use it, then understand that I am grateful!
I do need financial support.
Another way you could support my participation in the visual arts could be by praying for me, if that’s part of your daily life. I’m a progressive Christian in faith focus, but prayers from any religious tradition are ALL VERY WELCOME! Creativity is a gift from God, and if you believe in a LOVING Creator, and you feel my creativity reflects and connects with your sense of the divine presence expressed in the world, then throw in some prayers for me. I need strength and encouragement in many ways.
General Info on Redbubble.com
Help with buying prints, soft furnishings, home decor and other merchandise for the home from redbubble.com
Redbubble are a “print on demand” site which I upload selected artworks up onto, meaning the products and prints can be manufactured by Redbubble and orders fulfilled directly by them.
There are thousands of artists on there, so it can be tricky to locate my specific art prints unless you have a link or the full artwork title.
So if you want to order anything with my art and design on, and are having difficulty locating it on redbubble, please do contact me directly via my blog with a screenshot of what you have seen and want and I will locate it for you and send you the link. Or alternatively send me a bubblemail if you already have a Redbubble account.
Putting the full title in Google within speech marks also usually brings the specific artwork up, particularly if you add AND Jenny Meehan to it.
Contact Jenny Meehan AKA jennyjimjams here: https://jennymeehan.wordpress.com/jenny-meehan-jennifer-meehan-how-to-contact-me/
Another note about Redbubble.
Postage costs at Redbubble basically get higher if you order many different types of products because they are shipped from different manufacturing points, some of which are in different countries. This is what it says on the Redbubble website:
“Everything on the Redbubble marketplace is printed just for you, so a lot of thought goes into the way each item is made and shipped. A global network of 3rd-party manufacturers and shipping services work tirelessly to get your order from the site to your door.
Your order details are sent to one of the 3rd-party printers closest to you.
The 3rd-party printers that fulfill your orders are based all around the world. The type of product you order and your shipping address affect where the product is made. Because of this, your order can sometimes come in different packages and arrive on different days.
How are shipping costs calculated?
Because orders from independent artists on the Redbubble marketplace are made by 3rd-party printers around the world, shipping costs vary and depend on a few key factors:
Whether you ship Standard or Express
Where the order is shipping to and from
The packaging used to ship each part of the order
Orders containing multiple items may be printed at different facilities, adding to the shipping cost
Here’s how you can see an estimated shipping price before placing your order:
Add the desired product(s) to your cart.
In your cart, the shipping cost will be estimated based on your shipping location and shipping method.”
I order products myself from Redbubble, and I find I often adjust my order to reduce shipping costs which I do by selecting several of one type of product rather than ordering many different kinds which need to be shipped from a higher number of places. That might not be you desire but can be worth bearing in mind if it matters to you.
There are two main tabs under each artists main page on redbubble.com. One is SHOP and the other is EXPLORE. For just having a general taster browse, using “explore” on redbubble is best for simply looking at the art and design alone but it doesn’t have a collections option, and as I have almost a thousand art images on there it could be a laborious process to scroll down them all. As I’ve said before, don’t hesitate to contact me directly if you need help to locate a specific jennyjimjams Jenny Meehan artwork.
The other option is to press the SHOP tab which gives you a bit more of an assortment, plus the sub tabs of redbubble COLLECTIONS which can be helpful, particularly if you want to see the three “Deaf Awareness” collections for example. The flip side is Redbubble then throws up two options, one dedicated to my art and design only, but the other, (under a heading like “similar designs”) includes ANY artists on redbubble, which isn’t so helpful if you are there specifically to support me by buying my art and design on redbubble!
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
Individual Online Art Tuition and Artist Mentoring
Jenny Meehan (Jennifer Meehan) BA Hons (Lit.) PGCE
I’m a trained teacher (PGCE in Education) and subject to other commitments can sometimes offer individual or small group daytime art tuition. My specialism is abstract painting, however, I can also teach a range of general art and design techniques in a friendly and accessible way. My emphasis is on your finding your own personal direction. Current students include beginners as well as experienced artists.
Since the Coronavirus Pandemic hit us I’ve changed my teaching practices and moved to online art tuition and Artist mentoring. This is now individual art tuition over Skype or Zoom. It needs to be booked and paid for at least two weeks in advance. The fee for a 50 minute online art session with me, be it artist mentoring, online art tuition or a bit of both, is £35. Please contact me for further details.
Buy Original Fine Paintings by Jenny Meehan
If you require original fine paintings in the lyrical abstract style, then contact me!
Why read “Jenny Meehan – Contemporary Artist’s Journal: The Artist’s Meandering Discourses – poetry – painting – spirituality (mostly!)?
This artist’s blog is probably of most interest to artists, art collectors, art lovers and basically anyone who is interested in fine art, poetry, creativity, spirituality and psychology (and their related areas). Art curators and art collectors interested in British 21st century female contemporary artists, women and art, religious art, spirituality and art, and psychoanalysis and art, I imagine will probably enjoy dipping into this Jenny Meehan Contemporary Artist’s Journal. Skimming is vital… It is a “Meandering Discourse” after all, written for my benefit as well as hopefully other people’s!
Art collectors are often interested in the processes, techniques, interests and influences of the artists whose work they collect, and sharing my thoughts and perspectives through a blog is an important dimension of my creative practice.
I describe my painting as being romantic,expressionistic, abstract and lyrical. Art collectors interested in lyrical abstraction, abstract expressionist, and essentially romantic art, are likely to find my paintings an interesting and exciting addition to their art collection.
I am a self-representing artist, whose aim is to ensure I continue to develop my painting practice in an innovative and pioneering way, rather than attempt some kind of commercial success, and whose aim is also that my work is historically relevant, rather then celebrated in that so called and illusive “art world”. I hope to add to the number of people who value, collect, and develop an interest in my paintings and to thereby sustain and develop my practice over many years. Bit of blurb from past website:
“Jenny Meehan is an established artist who has been exhibiting for over ten years, mostly in the UK. Notable exhibitions include, most recently being selected for the Imagined Worlds touring exhibition of artworks inspired by the poem ‘Kubla Khan’ and inclusion in “Building Bridges, the Female Perspective” at Tower Bridge Victorian Engine Rooms in 2016. Jenny has been a keen supporter of various charity art exhibitions over the years including the National Brain Appeals ” A Letter in Mind” at Gallery@oxo, South Bank, London and the “Anatomy for Life” Exhibition for Brighton Sussex University Hospitals Trust in 2015
Selected by a wide range of judges in open submission exhibitions, her work appeals to the aesthetic and emotional discernment of many, and has been displayed in many prestigious galleries. These include the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, in 2015, as part of their Open Exhibition, and the Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, West Sussex, as part of the Pallant House Gallery/St Wilfrid’s Hospice Open Art Exhibition in 2010.
Jenny Meehan’s work has been included in several academic projects and and publications including “Speaking Out – Women Recovering from the Trauma of Violence” by Nicole Fayard in 2014 and the ongoing “Recovery” Exhibition project – Institute Of Mental Health/City Arts, Nottingham University, also in 2014. While her romantic, lyrical, expressionistic, abstract paintings offer a contemplative space free from cares and concerns, other strands of her practice engage with subjects ranging from violence, trauma recovery, psychoanalysis, and mental health.”
…………………………………
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION FOR OTHER IMAGES
Permission is always sought before use. When I include images, I do so in the belief that this will not cause commercial harm to the copyright holder. I believe that this is fair use and does not infringe copyright. Images are used in order for me to comment and reference them in relation to my own creative and artistic practice. When I include extracts of text, I also do so with the understanding that again, this is permissible under the widely accepted fair usage terms with respect to copyright.
Outline of my “Fair Use” rationale, which is applicable to all images from other sources which I include on this blog:
There is no alternative, public domain or free-copyrighted replacement image available to my knowledge.
Its inclusion in my blog adds significantly to my narrative because it shows the subject which I want to refer to and relate to my own artistic practice and is necessary in order for me to communicate accurately my observations/critical appraisal/appreciation/educate my readers, in understanding my perspectives on art and life. Inclusion is for information, education and analysis only. The text discussing the significance of the included art work is enhanced by inclusion of the image. The image is a low resolution copy of the original work of such low quality that it will not affect potential sales of the art work
| Social Media: Jenny Meehan Jenny Meehan – UK based painter-poet artist-author Specialism: Geometric and Lyrical Abstraction Image licensing via DACS Designer and Artists Copyright Society (DACS proposed fees are negotiable contact me in first instance) https://www.youtube.com/user/jennyjimjams https://twitter.com/jennymeehanart Copyright Information – Jenny Meehan Copyright in all images by Jenny Meehan is held by the artist. Permission must be sought in advance for the reproduction, copying or any other use of any images by Jenny Meehan. Individuals or businesses seeking licences or permission to use, copy or reproduce any image by Jenny Meehan should, in the first instance, contact Jenny Meehan. Any persons discovered to be reproducing, copying or using images by Jenny Meehan without prior consent, authorisation or permission will be put on notice that Jenny Meehan is the copyright owner and asked to immediately cease and desist the infringing activity. If a satisfactory response and / or compliance is not forthcoming promptly, the matter will be pursued. For clarification of the laws of copyright, please contact the Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS). www.dacs.org.uk Copyright for all visual art by Jenny Meehan is primarily managed by the Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS) in the UK. If you wish to license a work of art by Jenny Meehan, please contact Jenny Meehan in the first instance to clarify your requirements. Licensing an image is quick and easy for both parties and is organised through the Design and Artist Copyright Society. It can be done online through their request form: https://dacs.secure.force.com/enquiry/ For an overview on image licensing on the DACS website, look here. https://www.dacs.org.uk/licensing-works Please NOTE: the “Quote” suggested is a proposed fee in line with the industry standard. While I do stick broadly to the industry standard with respect to fees, I appreciate the need to stick to a budget in publishing, and the quote is a proposed amount. I normally have some flexibility! DACS will automatically propose a licensing fee in line with the industry standard. However, please note, this is a negotiable fee. I am happy to be flexible about the initial fee proposed, and it’s not a problem if the initially proposed fee is outside your budget. Administration of the licensing process is facilitated through DACS, who liaise between us with respect to the exact fee agreed. Depending on circumstances and the nature of your project, I can offer fee reductions for a certain percentage of licensing arrangements. If you use their online form and attach the low resolution image of my artwork which you have found on the internet, they will know which image you seek permission for. You can also contact me directly in the first instance if you wish to, of course. Any arrangements will need to be made through the Designer and Artists’ Copyright Society, but I can often offer the opportunity to alter images, for example, putting in different aspect ratios or colourways, so it’s really helpful to communicate with designers and clients first with respect to the actual image required. So, feel free to contact me if you are looking for a particular type of artwork image, as I have a large archive of images. I will also be able to let you know the maximum size the digital image is available at. If you then wish to licence the artwork image, you would then contact the Design and Artist Copyright Society to arrange the licensing agreement according to your requirements. Once paid and agreed, I then supply the high resolution image directly to you. Sample Price Guide for book cover image: £350, as below: For this kind of use: Distribution: Worldwide all languages Print run: 5,000 printed copies plus 500 e-books Proposed licensing fee: £270 +vat This was below the proposed licencing fee initially suggested to the client by DACS, which was (in that year) £382 +vat, but I had a personal interest in the project therefore was happy to reduce the fee accordingly. I request two complimentary copies of the book for myself, but I make no fee for the supply of the image. My images can be licensed for use easily and quickly. DACS have price lists on their website for different types of use, which should be used only a guide for a proposed fee. It’s a starting point. I can normally be flexible. |
Original Fine Paintings and Digital Prints by Jenny Meehan
My original artwork has two main strands: Lyrical Abstraction, painterly, fluid, with a lot of focus on light, how it bounces off the surface, textures and finishes, and Geometric Abstraction (created through digital imaging software) in which I focus on flat areas of smooth, solid, and translucent colour; ideally intended to be printed on even, matt or semi-mat surfaces.
While I’m experimenting with the overlap between the two, and make it my practice to regularly try out new mediums, in order to keep my artwork fresh and steadily evolving, identifying the strands in this way is helpful for clarity. I use writing and poetry in my art working and now prefer to use sol-silica paint over acrylics or oils, though I am still known to dabble in many different types of paint, due to their particular material and visual qualities!
If you would like to give money to help support my creative practice, I can accept it quickly and easily through the Paypal.me process. Simply put the following in your browser:
paypal.me/jennymeehan
and follow the prompts. Please consider supporting my work in this way if it strikes a chord with you and you are able to do so. I do need support in order to continue my artworking.
My artwork is particularly suitable for themes of: faith, religion, philosophy, Christian, church, all faith traditions, inter-faith, spirituality, the subconscious, psychoanalytic themes, mindfulness, contemplative practices, healing, health, both physical and mental, trauma recovery, metaphysical and psychological focused writings, the devotional life, and many other subjects.
Alongside my mainly lyrical abstract paintings, there is another important strand in my work which includes more of a narrative. Well, some kind of narrative. Through my writing, and my participation in ongoing psychotherapy, I draw on my subconscious. It’s this process of self reflection, examination, and other contemplative practices which are rooted in my own faith tradition as a Christian, alongside a good dose of yoga and West African drumming, which have created an exciting way ahead for my work with visual art. I think it’s the relationship between my writing and visual work, particularly through poetry, which helps determine the direction in my art practice.
I’m a member of Kingston Artists’ Open Studios: http://www.kingstonartistsopenstudios.co.uk/product-category/artists-m-to-z/
Jenny Meehan AKA jennyjimjams self portrait 2021 ©Jenny meehan
Moltmann, Jürgen
Sounds Make Paintings
Well, kind of!?? I make paintings and all the elements of my life I take into myself make paintings. Sounds don’t make paintings as such… And paintings don’t make sounds.. Though wonderfully, nowadays, with all the amazing digital technologies available to us, they quite possibly do! I love digital technology, and yet, I like to keep my paintings silent. A slight exception to this may be where I use my work in combination with poetry, as I do on many of my video poems on you tube and some of my experimental artworking in video and short film form.
What I do, do, though is a lot of listening as I paint. Mostly the sounds from my garden, and mostly, therefore, the birds. The movements of leaves and foliage, the occasional sound of traffic, the wind, an occasional dog barking; all fleeting moments which I take in. I also sometimes listen to music when I paint, and if I really like it and play it alot, I will sometimes title a painting with the name of the song. This is because it captures my imagination and I’m kind of exploring it at the same time I paint. I’m not seeking any conscious awareness or connection. It’s part of the environment I’m working in. I work from home, either in my kitchen studio, the garden, or my studio tent. The music is part of the present time and I’m contemplating it as much as the painting!
I named this “In a stone circle” after the beautiful piece of music I was listening to when working on it.
(Ian Anderson Divinities: Twelve Dances with God)
I trained in ballet for ten years from the age of 5 and I often incorporate music and dance into my painting process. Physically moving through space, in addition with playing with it as I use colour, geometry and composition in the flow of a painting session, seem complementary and the handprint in this artwork is a motif I started to use in some of my work many years ago. The handprint speaks of body awareness and making contact with myself.
As a person whose life story ,and hence narrative, includes processing high levels of trauma, the art I create has an important healing function in my life, and while that’s only one dimension of it, its one I value and embrace.
Image is low resolution only… Contact me for more details and detailed image if its not sufficient for your viewing objectives here.
Substrate is grey board
Unframed
Paint is Keim Soldalit for main areas with small applications of acrylics in places.
Not selling quite yet as it hasn’t been exhibited yet and I prefer to wait til I’ve shown in person before selling, but feel free to contact me if you want first “innings”.
I sell this painting size, unframed for £800 direct from me.
Price range of my original fine art is between £400 and £900. Larger original paintings (up to around A1) are at the top end with smaller original paintings being around the £400 mark.
You can also buy unsigned open edition prints on various substrates and sizes via my jennyjimjams Redbubble artist profile on the well known print on demand marketplace Redbubble. Prices approx £10 – £200
Spring Dance Abstract Painting Jenny Meehan
And here is another recent painting. I was interested to think about why I should be thinking about spring at this time of year, as I was working on this one around September time, but I think as I spend a lot of time in the garden, seeing the beginnings of decay, and yet the seed pods and seed heads of flowers and plants, along with the activity of planting bulbs, does impress upon me an awareness of the coming Spring even in this time of gradual death.
Chris Whitty “Next Slide Please” Gifts Art Prints for Christmas
Delighted to have sold another unsigned print of this artwork via redbubble, the well known print on demand marketplace. They do Mugs and other products too! Great gifts!
When you buy via my pages on redbubble I get an artists margin which helps sustain my fine art practice. Much needed at this time when I haven’t been able to do my usual Artists Open Studios participation in the last couple of years.
I’m a big fan of Chris Whitty and I wanted to create something which had humour, was a bit of a coronavirus pandemic memento/souvenir, (not that we will forget it easily – it’s still very much ongoing!) and could be a fun gift encompassing these “uncertain times”.
Initially I created it just for myself, as I wanted a very unique facemask design.
My favourite use for it that I’ve received feedback from a customer on was that they had it printed by Redbubble on a T shirt which they wore when giving covid vaccinations at a vaccination centre. That kind of thing really makes creating worth while. It brought smiles to many faces!
I’m finding the phrase “Next Slide Please” resonates with me in more than a viewing of the UK Government’s Coronavirus Pandemic Updates.
To be honest I am wishing for the next few years, like slides, to quickly come and move on from, however I think much patience will be needed as it won’t be as straightforward as a slide show!
Some words and sayings are never going to be the same. It’s interesting the way life and experiences change meanings!
Links are in bio/comment to buy on my social media posts. Please contact me if you have any problems locating what you want of my art and design on redbubble as it’s a massive marketplace thousands of artists use to help support their creativity.
Link to my redbubble shops
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennymeehan
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams
Jenny Meehan/jennyjimjams are both Redbubble artist portfolios of British contemporary Artist Designer Jenny Meehan.
Discover Jenny Meehan via my Art Journal Blog https://jennymeehan.wordpress.com/
Do you need exciting, engaging, images for a book cover design?
My artwork is particularly suitable for themes of: faith, religion, philosophy, Christian, church, all faith traditions, inter-faith, spirituality, the subconscious, psychoanalytic themes, mindfulness, contemplative practices, healing, health, both physical and mental, trauma recovery, metaphysical and psychological focused writings, the devotional life, and many other subjects.
Indeed, pretty much any subject matter or theme which benefits from a more abstract graphic image; one which also conveys basic feelings and ideas in an open and experimental manner; would benefit from it’s clarity of communication being enhanced by one of my art images.
From the lyrical abstraction of some of abstract expressionist style textured paintings, to the geometric abstraction clear edged imagery, which I also produce, the value of non representational imagery in book cover design which is both colourful and interesting, and stimulates the eye with colour and striking composition, cannot be under estimated.
If you are looking for something particular, do contact me, because I only display a small amount on the internet and may even be able to create something specific to your needs, or be able to locate something from my extensive archives which meets your need.
Twitter: jennymeehan@jennymeehanart
https://linkedin.com/in/jennymeehanart
Follow Jenny Meehan! British Contemporary Artist’s Online Art Journal. Artist’s Blog/Art Journal. Posts published every two months.
TO FOLLOW THIS ARTIST’S BLOG SIMPLY GO TO THE RIGHT HAND COLUMN, LOCATE THE “FOLLOW” BOX AND POP IN YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS. You can select your preferred frequency of updates.
Who is Jenny Meehan? (Well… I’m still trying to work that one out…)
Jenny Meehan (Jennifer Meehan) is a painter-poet, artist-author and Contemplative (Christian faith tradition) based in East Surrey/South West London. Her interest in Christ-centred spirituality and creativity are the main focus of this artist’s journal, which rambles and meanders on, maybe acting as a personal (yet open to view) note book as much as anything else. Trauma recovery, mental health awareness, and psychotherapy/psychoanalysis are all very interesting. And yes; it’s me writing this. Feels odd… But it’s fun.
If you would like to give money to help support my creative practice I can accept it quickly and easily through the Paypal.me process. Simply put the following in your browser:
paypal.me/jennymeehan
and follow the prompts. Please consider supporting my work in this way if it strikes a chord with you and you are able to do so. Unfortunately there isn’t a system in this facility for me to send a thank you. But if you do use it, then understand that I am grateful!
I do need financial support.
Another way you could support my participation in the visual arts could be by praying for me, if that’s part of your daily life. I’m a progressive Christian in faith focus, but prayers from any religious tradition are ALL VERY WELCOME! Creativity is a gift from God, and if you believe in a LOVING Creator, and you feel my creativity reflects and connects with your sense of the divine presence expressed in the world, then throw in some prayers for me. I need strength and encouragement in many ways.
General Info on Redbubble.com
Help with buying prints, soft furnishings, home decor and other merchandise for the home from redbubble.com
Redbubble are a “print on demand” site which I upload selected artworks up onto, meaning the products and prints can be manufactured by Redbubble and orders fulfilled directly by them.
There are thousands of artists on there, so it can be tricky to locate my specific art prints unless you have a link or the full artwork title.
So if you want to order anything with my art and design on, and are having difficulty locating it on redbubble, please do contact me directly via my blog with a screenshot of what you have seen and want and I will locate it for you and send you the link. Or alternatively send me a bubblemail if you already have a Redbubble account.
Putting the full title in Google within speech marks also usually brings the specific artwork up, particularly if you add AND Jenny Meehan to it.
Contact Jenny Meehan AKA jennyjimjams here: https://jennymeehan.wordpress.com/jenny-meehan-jennifer-meehan-how-to-contact-me/
Another note about Redbubble.
Postage costs at Redbubble basically get higher if you order many different types of products because they are shipped from different manufacturing points, some of which are in different countries. This is what it says on the Redbubble website:
“Everything on the Redbubble marketplace is printed just for you, so a lot of thought goes into the way each item is made and shipped. A global network of 3rd-party manufacturers and shipping services work tirelessly to get your order from the site to your door.
Your order details are sent to one of the 3rd-party printers closest to you.
The 3rd-party printers that fulfill your orders are based all around the world. The type of product you order and your shipping address affect where the product is made. Because of this, your order can sometimes come in different packages and arrive on different days.
How are shipping costs calculated?
Because orders from independent artists on the Redbubble marketplace are made by 3rd-party printers around the world, shipping costs vary and depend on a few key factors:
Whether you ship Standard or Express
Where the order is shipping to and from
The packaging used to ship each part of the order
Orders containing multiple items may be printed at different facilities, adding to the shipping cost
Here’s how you can see an estimated shipping price before placing your order:
Add the desired product(s) to your cart.
In your cart, the shipping cost will be estimated based on your shipping location and shipping method.”
I order products myself from Redbubble, and I find I often adjust my order to reduce shipping costs which I do by selecting several of one type of product rather than ordering many different kinds which need to be shipped from a higher number of places. That might not be you desire but can be worth bearing in mind if it matters to you.
There are two main tabs under each artists main page on redbubble.com. One is SHOP and the other is EXPLORE. For just having a general taster browse, using “explore” on redbubble is best for simply looking at the art and design alone but it doesn’t have a collections option, and as I have almost a thousand art images on there it could be a laborious process to scroll down them all.
As I’ve said before, don’t hesitate to contact me directly if you need help to locate a specific jennyjimjams Jenny Meehan artwork.
The other option is to press the SHOP tab which gives you a bit more of an assortment, plus the sub tabs of redbubble COLLECTIONS which can be helpful, particularly if you want to see the three “Deaf Awareness” collections for example. The flip side is Redbubble then throws up two options, one dedicated to my art and design only, but the other, (under a heading like “similar designs”) includes ANY artists on redbubble, which isn’t so helpful if you are there specifically to support me by buying my art and design on redbubble!
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
Individual Online Art Tuition and Artist Mentoring
Jenny Meehan (Jennifer Meehan) BA Hons (Lit.) PGCE
I’m a trained teacher (PGCE in Education) and offer individual or small group daytime art tuition. My specialism is abstract painting, however, I can also teach a range of general art and design techniques in a friendly and accessible way. My emphasis is on your finding your own personal direction. Current students include beginners as well as experienced artists.
Since the Coronavirus Pandemic hit us I’ve changed my teaching practices and moved to online art tuition and Artist mentoring. This is now individual art tuition over Skype or Zoom. It needs to be booked and paid for at least two weeks in advance. The fee for a 50 minute online art session with me, be it artist mentoring, online art tuition or a bit of both, is £35. Please contact me for further details.
Buy Original Fine Paintings by Jenny Meehan
If you require original fine paintings in the lyrical abstract style, then contact me!
Why read “Jenny Meehan – Contemporary Artist’s Journal: The Artist’s Meandering Discourses – poetry – painting – spirituality (mostly!)?
This artist’s blog is probably of most interest to artists, art collectors, art lovers and basically anyone who is interested in fine art, poetry, creativity, spirituality and psychology (and their related areas). Art curators and art collectors interested in British 21st century female contemporary artists, women and art, religious art, spirituality and art, and psychoanalysis and art, I imagine will probably enjoy dipping into this Jenny Meehan Contemporary Artist’s Journal. Skimming is vital… It is a “Meandering Discourse” after all, written for my benefit as well as hopefully other people’s!
Art collectors are often interested in the processes, techniques, interests and influences of the artists whose work they collect, and sharing my thoughts and perspectives through a blog is an important dimension of my creative practice.
I describe my painting as being romantic,expressionistic, abstract and lyrical. Art collectors interested in lyrical abstraction, abstract expressionist, and essentially romantic art, are likely to find my paintings an interesting and exciting addition to their art collection.
I am a self-representing artist, whose aim is to ensure I continue to develop my painting practice in an innovative and pioneering way, rather than attempt some kind of commercial success, and whose aim is also that my work is historically relevant, rather then celebrated in that so called and illusive “art world”. I hope to add to the number of people who value, collect, and develop an interest in my paintings and to thereby sustain and develop my practice over many years. Bit of blurb from past website:
“Jenny Meehan is an established artist who has been exhibiting for over ten years, mostly in the UK. Notable exhibitions include, most recently being selected for the Imagined Worlds touring exhibition of artworks inspired by the poem ‘Kubla Khan’ and inclusion in “Building Bridges, the Female Perspective” at Tower Bridge Victorian Engine Rooms in 2016. Jenny has been a keen supporter of various charity art exhibitions over the years including the National Brain Appeals ” A Letter in Mind” at Gallery@oxo, South Bank, London and the “Anatomy for Life” Exhibition for Brighton Sussex University Hospitals Trust in 2015
Selected by a wide range of judges in open submission exhibitions, her work appeals to the aesthetic and emotional discernment of many, and has been displayed in many prestigious galleries. These include the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, in 2015, as part of their Open Exhibition, and the Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, West Sussex, as part of the Pallant House Gallery/St Wilfrid’s Hospice Open Art Exhibition in 2010.
Jenny Meehan’s work has been included in several academic projects and and publications including “Speaking Out – Women Recovering from the Trauma of Violence” by Nicole Fayard in 2014 and the ongoing “Recovery” Exhibition project – Institute Of Mental Health/City Arts, Nottingham University, also in 2014. While her romantic, lyrical, expressionistic, abstract paintings offer a contemplative space free from cares and concerns, other strands of her practice engage with subjects ranging from violence, trauma recovery, psychoanalysis, and mental health.”
…………………………………
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION FOR OTHER IMAGES
Permission is always sought before use. When I include images, I do so in the belief that this will not cause commercial harm to the copyright holder. I believe that this is fair use and does not infringe copyright. Images are used in order for me to comment and reference them in relation to my own creative and artistic practice. When I include extracts of text, I also do so with the understanding that again, this is permissible under the widely accepted fair usage terms with respect to copyright.
Outline of my “Fair Use” rationale, which is applicable to all images from other sources which I include on this blog:
There is no alternative, public domain or free-copyrighted replacement image available to my knowledge.
Its inclusion in my blog adds significantly to my narrative because it shows the subject which I want to refer to and relate to my own artistic practice and is necessary in order for me to communicate accurately my observations/critical appraisal/appreciation/educate my readers, in understanding my perspectives on art and life. Inclusion is for information, education and analysis only. The text discussing the significance of the included art work is enhanced by inclusion of the image. The image is a low resolution copy of the original work of such low quality that it will not affect potential sales of the art work
| Social Media: Jenny Meehan Jenny Meehan – UK based painter-poet artist-author Specialism: Geometric and Lyrical Abstraction Image licensing via DACS Designer and Artists Copyright Society (DACS proposed fees are negotiable contact me in first instance) https://www.youtube.com/user/jennyjimjams https://twitter.com/jennymeehanart Copyright Information – Jenny Meehan Copyright in all images by Jenny Meehan is held by the artist. Permission must be sought in advance for the reproduction, copying or any other use of any images by Jenny Meehan. Individuals or businesses seeking licences or permission to use, copy or reproduce any image by Jenny Meehan should, in the first instance, contact Jenny Meehan. Any persons discovered to be reproducing, copying or using images by Jenny Meehan without prior consent, authorisation or permission will be put on notice that Jenny Meehan is the copyright owner and asked to immediately cease and desist the infringing activity. If a satisfactory response and / or compliance is not forthcoming promptly, the matter will be pursued. For clarification of the laws of copyright, please contact the Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS). www.dacs.org.uk Copyright for all visual art by Jenny Meehan is primarily managed by the Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS) in the UK. If you wish to licence a work of art by Jenny Meehan, please contact Jenny Meehan in the first instance to clarify your requirements. Licencing an image is quick and easy for both parties and is organised through the Design and Artist Copyright Society. It can be done online through their request form: https://dacs.secure.force.com/enquiry/ For an overview on image licensing on the DACS website, look here. https://www.dacs.org.uk/licensing-works Please NOTE: the “Quote” suggested is a proposed fee in line with the industry standard. While I do stick broadly to the industry standard with respect to fees, I appreciate the need to stick to a budget in publishing, and the quote is a proposed amount. I normally have some flexibility! DACS will automatically propose a licensing fee in line with the industry standard. However, please note, this is a negotiable fee. I am happy to be flexible about the initial fee proposed, and it’s not a problem if the initially proposed fee is outside your budget. Administration of the licensing process is facilitated through DACS, who liaise between us with respect to the exact fee agreed. Depending on circumstances and the nature of your project, I can offer fee reductions for a certain percentage of licensing arrangements. If you use their online form and attach the low resolution image of my artwork which you have found on the internet, they will know which image you seek permission for. You can also contact me directly in the first instance if you wish to, of course. Any arrangements will need to be made through the Designer and Artists’ Copyright Society, but I can often offer the opportunity to alter images, for example, putting in different aspect ratios or colourways, so it’s really helpful to communicate with designers and clients first with respect to the actual image required. So, feel free to contact me if you are looking for a particular type of artwork image, as I have a large archive of images. I will also be able to let you know the maximum size the digital image is available at. If you then wish to licence the artwork image, you would then contact the Design and Artist Copyright Society to arrange the licencing agreement according to your requirements. Once paid and agreed, I then supply the high resolution image directly to you. Sample Price Guide for book cover image: £350, as below: For this kind of use: Distribution: Worldwide all languages Print run: 5,000 printed copies plus 500 e-books Proposed licensing fee: £270 +vat This was below the proposed licencing fee initially suggested to the client by DACS, which was (in that year) £382 +vat, but I had a personal interest in the project therefore was happy to reduce the fee accordingly. I request two complimentary copies of the book for myself, but I make no fee for the supply of the image. My images can be licensed for use easily and quickly. DACS have price lists on their website for different types of use, which should be used only a guide for a proposed fee. It’s a starting point. I can normally be flexible. |
Original Fine Paintings and Digital Prints by Jenny Meehan
My original artwork has two main strands: Lyrical Abstraction, painterly, fluid, with a lot of focus on light, how it bounces off the surface, textures and finishes, and Geometric Abstraction (created through digital imaging software) in which I focus on flat areas of smooth, solid, and translucent colour; ideally intended to be printed on even, matt or semi-mat surfaces.
While I’m experimenting with the overlap between the two, and make it my practice to regularly try out new mediums, in order to keep my artwork fresh and steadily evolving, identifying the strands in this way is helpful for clarity. I use writing and poetry in my art working and now prefer to use sol-silica paint over acrylics or oils, though I am still known to dabble in many different types of paint, due to their particular material and visual qualities!
If you would like to give money to help support my creative practice, I can accept it quickly and easily through the Paypal.me process. Simply put the following in your browser:
paypal.me/jennymeehan
and follow the prompts. Please consider supporting my work in this way if it strikes a chord with you and you are able to do so. I do need support in order to continue my artworking.
My artwork is particularly suitable for themes of: faith, religion, philosophy, Christian, church, all faith traditions, inter-faith, spirituality, the subconscious, psychoanalytic themes, mindfulness, contemplative practices, healing, health, both physical and mental, trauma recovery, metaphysical and psychological focused writings, the devotional life, and many other subjects.
Alongside my mainly lyrical abstract paintings, there is another important strand in my work which includes more of a narrative. Well, some kind of narrative. Through my writing, and my participation in ongoing psychotherapy, I draw on my subconscious. It’s this process of self reflection, examination, and other contemplative practices which are rooted in my own faith tradition as a Christian, alongside a good dose of yoga and West African drumming, which have created an exciting way ahead for my work with visual art. I think it’s the relationship between my writing and visual work, particularly through poetry, which helps determine the direction in my art practice.
I’m a member of Kingston Artists’ Open Studios: http://www.kingstonartistsopenstudios.co.uk/product-category/artists-m-to-z/
These poo like objects are semi solidified keim soldalit which I make into chunky pastels for use on some of my paintings. I love this paint! Necessity certainly is “the mother of invention”!
I’m grateful for being able to use what was excess to someone else’s requirements in a creative way. I’ve mixed up variations of the colours I had, and in some cases added inorganic pigments which are compatible with the sol silicate paint.
It has a beautiful texture and feel.. Silky smooth and clay like. It also smells lovely and as an ecofriendly paint both myself and mother earth are extra happy!
Maybe an unusual way to return after a bit of a Summer break to the Autumn’s art journal posts, but never mind!
Buying art prints from jennyjimjams.redbubble.com
Selling unsigned art prints helps generate the funds I need to pay for materials and also means that people can buy some of my art and design in an affordable way, which is very important to me.
Basically Redbubble are a “print on demand” site which I upload selected artworks up, onto meaning products and prints can be manufactured by Redbubble and orders fulfilled by them. There are thousands of artists on there, so it can be tricky to locate my specific art prints unless you have a link or the full artwork title.
So if you want to order anything with my art and design on, and are having difficulty locating it on redbubble, please do contact me directly via my blog with a screenshot of what you have seen and want and I will locate it for you and send you the link.
Contact Jenny Meehan AKA jennyjimjams here: https://jennymeehan.wordpress.com/jenny-meehan-jennifer-meehan-how-to-contact-me/
Another note about Redbubble.
Postage costs at Redbubble basically get higher if you order many different types of products because they are shipped from different manufacturing points, some of which are in different countries. This is what it says on the Redbubble website:
“Everything on the Redbubble marketplace is printed just for you, so a lot of thought goes into the way each item is made and shipped. A global network of 3rd-party manufacturers and shipping services work tirelessly to get your order from the site to your door.
Your order details are sent to one of the 3rd-party printers closest to you.
The 3rd-party printers that fulfill your orders are based all around the world. The type of product you order and your shipping address affect where the product is made. Because of this, your order can sometimes come in different packages and arrive on different days.
How are shipping costs calculated?
Because orders from independent artists on the Redbubble marketplace are made by 3rd-party printers around the world, shipping costs vary and depend on a few key factors:
Whether you ship Standard or Express
Where the order is shipping to and from
The packaging used to ship each part of the order
Orders containing multiple items may be printed at different facilities, adding to the shipping cost
Here’s how you can see an estimated shipping price before placing your order:
Add the desired product(s) to your cart.
In your cart, the shipping cost will be estimated based on your shipping location and shipping method.”
I order products myself from Redbubble, and I find I often adjust my order to reduce shipping costs which I do by selecting several of one type of product rather than ordering many different kinds which need to be shipped from a higher number of places. That might not be you desire but can be worth bearing in mind if it matters to you.
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/shop?asc=u
Please do take a look at my redbubble artist profile and consider if you might like to make some purchases from there… Great gifts, and you know Christmas will come quickly!
Alternatively remember that I do sell my original artwork as well as licensing my art images and again both these income streams sustain my artworking.
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/shop?asc=u
Past Art Submissions
I’m posting up a past artwork submission I made a few years back. I’ve found that it’s very important to value process, and while it’s a bit of a disappointment when work doesn’t get selected, it’s also true that I find the process of making an application very interesting and it often works as a stimulus to some interesting research, thinking, and ideas which I often use at points in the future. Therefore to include unsuccessful ventures in my artist narrative is very relevant. Nothing is wasted! I often find the thinking and research ends up benefitting me in other areas of my life and I use what I’ve learnt for other things in unexpected ways!
So here we go…
Here’s a portion of a proposal to “Energy & Life in the context of Biological Science”
Practice
I work mainly with paint, digital imagery, and writing. I work in a process led manner seeking always to be open to new ideas. My visual work is most broadly described stylistically as being lyrically abstract/geometrically abstract.
In my artistic practice I have been working a lot with small glass spheres of varying microns in size. I use these on my paintings to create interesting textures and variations in the way that light hits the surface.
I’ve recently started experimenting with fractal generating software, and this is interesting to me as my use of it encompasses both a sense of predictability and control, alongside the unexpected occurrences which come from my own creative, somewhat more intuitive, processes. My use of the software is a development of an existing strand of work involving geometric abstraction, through which I have been seeking to express graphically both concepts and emotion using vector graphics in Photoshop. I’m interested in experimenting with combining the communicative power of abstract elements with the some of the form representations you work with.
As is the case with all of my work, I aim to produce aesthetically pleasing creations which demonstrate beauty within their form. Because this is the wonder I find in life, and the energy which motivates me as an artist. That in the brokenness (or apparent lack of order) beauty (and a sense of cohesion and resolution) can be discovered.
Interest
Molecules seem to always be depicted as circles or spheres. There’s something pleasing to me about this. I’m interested in continuing the use of circles/spheres I have initially started in my work and am wondering if it might be possible to base some creative art working on some of the ways molecules can be represented in your own area of expertise. (!) I am currently thinking of ball-and-stick models, (but there must be many other types of graphics you use for different purposes) and using fractal generating software to experiment with creating beautiful animations and/or still images/prints. How I then applied, and focused, this process, would really depend on what I learnt when spending time with you.
For myself, working with you offers a potential for me to step into the unknown…and I will create something which has a sense of mystery and wonder, basically because I am certain that as I open my mind to your endeavours, this is going to inspire me and send me in some interesting creative directions. In order to stay open to possibilities, imagination is key. This is what both scientists and artists do: we perceive what is, but imagine what might be, and then use our knowledge, technical skills and sensibilities to pursue what we have imagined. I’m really interested to get the chance to work collaboratively with scientists, to see how art and science can interact! “
There’s more to it but what I’ve quoted is enough for here, reminding me of some of my thinking and thoughts for a potential series of artworks. Sadly not to be realised in collaboration with other people and an organisation in the way I would have liked it, but as said, these things are never lost.
The reality of art submissions is they really are very speculative and involve a lot of work even in the creation of the submission. I’ve found over the years it’s best to only choose things you really can feel passionate about and then make the submission for its own sake, knowing that you may get lucky but in the end there are loads of wonderful talent artists and designers out there, which is GREAT, but the flip side is it probably depends on which way the wind is blowing that day whether you get selected or not. Not getting selected primarily isn’t personal, or a reflection of the quality of you work or proposal, (though sometimes it might be.. But never that alone)
I’m not sure who eventually did fit the bill for that artist call out, as I can’t find anything on the internet but I’d love to see the successful artists approach and outcomes so if you know please let me know. The artist call out was via Curator Space and was “Energy & Life in the context of Biological Science“
“Successful” Art Submission
Well, this one has been exhibited in several places now, in many different settings. As it’s a self portrait and was one of my earliest explicitly autobiographical art works it’s got a special place in my heart.
“Woman and Home
Woman and Home…Memories from women’s magazines on what my life can be. But it cannot. The words are a prison. Having experienced violence in the past brings an awareness of the disconnect between the outside image of what I may be and the reality of what is/was. I like to utilise the imagery which has struck me as having come from somewhere deep within my own experience, unexpected. The original photographic image (a self portrait) I used in creating this work was taken in 2008, at a time when the adverse effects of my various past traumas were tightly packed inside me, affecting my life by causing pressure; still very much under the surface. I chose to use this because in re-creating -it into a new artwork, I was both testifying to the impact of my own traumatic experiences of violence and it’s effects, while also recognising that the passage of time has brought change and progress: Re creation. Using the imagery for a positive purpose matters a lot to me.”
Woman and Home Woman’s issues contemporary digital artwork Jenny Meehan Artist working with psychological and emotional trauma experience. Trauma Recovery image of woman facing magazine headline text telling her aspirational statements yet they also imprison her ©Jenny Meehan
The text is all taken from the front pages of “Woman and Home” magazines. It effectively forms a kind of transparent netting falling across the image, so though in theory some positive wording, I am using it as something to evolk an awareness of the distance between the reality for me and many women.
Jenny Meehan Poetry
I’m still very much enjoying focusing on poetry and it tends to be these Autumn months which send me into writing mode in contrast to the Summer which have a big painting focus.
This is one of my poems on the theme of being the daughter of a schizophrenic mother. I’m sharing it again now as I’m spending some reflective time once again on my past experiences of being in the care of a mother in the midst of psychosis.
Flower Dream
Deep within the pot of me…
Not cracked, like Mummy.
Not hung on the wall,
slipping downwards…
A glassy look
that never met my tears.
I am sad and angry…
I won’t deny it.
For too long it was inconvenient
for me to exist in reality.
As I was saying;
Deep within the pot of me
I hoped for sunlight.
I dreamt of a day
when someone mysterious
would knock at the door, and come,
laden with flowers…
flowers upon flowers…
Come laden with flowers,
and colours, and petals,
and leaves, and stalks…
To give.
To give something
to me.
Not bleeding, or painful; like daffodils when you cut them.
(My sister was horrified).
As I was saying…
I hoped for sunlight
deep within the pot
of me.
But I could not reach out for it,
though I heard it was there…
in the garden.
In the garden of flowers,
which naked, Mummy ran through,
when all was solved
and the world was
entirely
her own.
The birds told me…
Deep in the garden…
In the shed…
I do exist.
This is why
I cry for the flowers.
They took my sister away, because she was too angry.
But keep me here, because I am no trouble.
And who needs flowers, anyway?
As long as your pot is not broken.
As I was saying…
Not cracked, like Mummy.
But empty,
non the less.
And the flowers are so beautiful;
A beautiful dream
for me.
Jenny Meehan 2017
This poem accompanies the Digital C type print “Flower Dream”.
Here it is:
As you can see it was first exhibited at the Sharp Gallery in Brixton which was very fitting for it I feel. They do fantastic work there and it was a privilege to contribute something.
Here’s the poem as a video poem:
I’m reading an amazing book right now.. “Growing Up with a Schizophrenic Mother.” by Margaret J Brown and Doris Parker Roberts.
Its full of other people’s experiences… So helpful and interesting!
I discovered my mother was schizophrenic when, in my early twenties, the community psychiatric nurse placed her medical card on the side table. I looked at it and it had in quite big black letters in felt tipped pen “psychotic / schizophrenic”. It was one moment of realisation. A glimmer of light and a total mystery. There was a word. Two words even!
As quick as the glimmer came, it went. No one had ever talked to me about what my mother’s chronic mental disorder was. It took some psychotherapy years later to make the connection. It was a relief. It was a relief to see something so certain and defined in the writing. The letters meant something that was indescribable. But they existed. That felt helpful, somehow.
She had simply “suffered with her nerves” and “had nervous breakdowns” She had a lot of pills. Sometimes she was well. Sometimes not.
Things didn’t get talked about then, I don’t think. Certainly, I recognise that labels have their pros and cons, their limitations… I’m not keen on them, however this memory was strangely very helpful to me!
It meant, I think that someone, somewhere had looked very carefully at my mother and knew what to make of her. They had, (in my imagination) , said “Ah! That’s what this is!” and it was routine, manageable. All was in order.
But the experience of growing up with a schizophrenic mother was unpredictable and complex.
This book is a super read for someone like myself, and somehow recognising the common ground I share with others is very beneficial.
Jenny Meehan “It is What it is/That’s Enough ” Video on You Tube
I’m building up quite a collection and enjoying experimenting with new media.
Just posted a new video, inspired by my current experience of Hypnotherapy! I’ve learnt a bit more on the value of trance, and made the video as a tool to use myself as a focal point for aiding relaxation when my anxiety levels become uncomfortable… With a nice full lung breath or two it seems to work pretty well for me!
It is What it is art video on YouTube by artist designer Jenny Meehan jennyjimjams
Re the title: It is What it Is/That’s Enough
I’m thinking of this phrase “It is What it is” as being used to indicate acceptance so that I can move on to better things rather than as an excuse to give up, ie in a fatalistic sense.
With “That’s Enough” I’m thinking of what has gone before.. I’m moving into the new, and new ways of thinking.. Like this from from the book of Isaiah
Isaiah 43:19
“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”
As well as my video posted here I have many more on YouTube so check those out too!
Deaf Awareness Lipreading Reusable Facecoverings
200 + options #deaf #Deaf #lipreading #lipreaders #hardofhearing #hearingloss etc facemasks!
It’s my coronavirus pandemic creative art project. And it’s a bit addictive as I’m still adding more slogan options to this deaf awareness collection!
I have also designed less deaf specific options as other communities also benefit from mask removal at an appropriate distance in order to help facilitate good communications and reduce disability in certain contexts.
Redbubble manufacture and fulfil your order, and offer worldwide delivery and excellent quality and service.
I’ve received some lovely feedback which is very encouraging and helpful to me. I feel passionately on the whole area of “invisible” disabilities and I wanted to put my hand to a coronavirus pandemic art project which had so some distinct social engagement and practical application.
Here’s what I refer to as the flagship design in the huge collection of reusable communication prompt facecoverings/masks I’ve designed and some background info. The image shows a woman wearing a black and white flat reusabke fabric facecovering available to buy at Redbubble with the words “mask wearing is more of a barrier than intended” and there are several variations on the design, for example with deaf, Deaf, Hard of Hearing options.
Within this pandemic, mass masking, though positive, can also significantly contribute to experienced disability. This facemask design references the social model of disability which says that people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment or difference. Barriers can be physical or caused by attitudes.
In 2020, after consulting with many Deaf/deaf and hard of hearing people, I chose to put my creative energy into designing over 200 communication prompt facecoverings which I sell through my redbubble artist profile (online POD marketplace) jennyjimjams.redbubble.com
These are a useful contribution to society, both as educational tools and awareness raisers. While different to my usual creative output, unusual times demand flexibility and innovation, both qualities I’ve embraced and enjoy.
Inclusivity has its roots in awareness of others.
Living in a richly diverse society involves us all looking beyond ourselves, and our own experience, and ensuring we invest time and energy into educating ourselves on the realities of other people’s lives.
Part of this process is examining the way specific situations and general circumstances in everyday life can impact different groups of people.
In the UK there are 12 million adults with hearing loss greater than 25 dBHL. (RNID statistics) This is equivalent to one in five adults. So that’s quite a few, even without including children. So wherever we live in the UK, we will encounter a substantial amount of people who can relate in an intimate way to the effect of facecoverings on experienced disability. And many more who will benefit from the prompt to take them into consideration!
As well as my deaf awareness range, printed on masks, badges, stickers and more, and consisting of over 200 different designs, I have many other fashionable and decorative, face coverings on my artist profile at Redbubble, plus beautiful interior decoration designs for home and office.
The Jenny Meehan /jennyjimjams Deaf deaf and hard of hearing design collection are all available to buy via my jennyjimjams.redbubble.com artist profile. (the second one down!)
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennymeehan
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams
Jenny Meehan/jennyjimjams are both Redbubble artist portfolios of British contemporary Artist Designer Jenny Meehan.
Well that’s it for September… I do have lots of paintings on the go still but probably won’t post up till next year now. Ps my original plan of one a month fell to the ground… In fact it will work put that I’ve done more than one painting a month… Probably more like one a week, however publicising them in such an orderly manner clearly doesn’t agree with me!
Jenny Meehan Licensable Digital Art Images
Design and Artists Copyright Society DACS 2022
Do you need a licence to use one of my images?
Yes!
I’m a member of the Design and Artists Copyright Society, (DACS) and my digital images are licensable via DACS.
Please contact me in the first instance with your enquiry. I’m flexible about fees, which are based on the industry standard, but negotiable. NOTE :All fees cited by the Design and Artists Copyright Society are proposed; not set in stone; and depending on circumstances, budgets, the nature of your project etc I can be flexible.
To get an idea of the industry standard fees for an image licence take a look at the Design and Artists Copyright Society Information page:
https://www.dacs.org.uk/licensing-works
You are of course able to simply fill out an image licence request via the Design and Artists Copyright Society form here too if preferred:
https://www.dacs.org.uk/licensing-works
The Design and Artists Copyright Society is an informative website and a good introduction to the process of licensing an art image for anyone seeking an image to use who is not familiar with the process, what information is needed, etc.
I am also happy to help you personally though as well, and have an extremely large archive of digital art images so do feel free to contact me directly and give me an idea of your project, intended use, and requirements.
Remember..
DACS will automatically propose a licensing fee in line with the industry standard. However, please note, this is a negotiable fee. I am happy to be flexible about the initial fee proposed, and it’s not a problem if the initially proposed fee is outside your budget.
It works like this…
Administration of the licensing process is facilitated through the Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS), who liaise between us with respect to the exact fee agreed. Depending on circumstances and the nature of your project, I can usually offer fee reductions for a certain percentage of licensing arrangements.
If you decide you want to use their online form, then you need to attach the low resolution image of my artwork which you have found on the internet, they will know which image you seek permission for.
As I’ve said, you can also contact me informally, in the first instance if you wish to, of course. Any formal arrangements will need to be made through the Designer and Artists’ Copyright Society, but I can often offer the opportunity to alter images, for example, putting in different aspect ratios or colourways, so it’s really helpful to communicate with designers and clients first with respect to the actual image required.
So, feel free to contact me. I will also be able to let you know the maximum size the digital image is available at. If you then wish to licence the artwork image, you would then contact the Design and Artist Copyright Society to arrange the licencing agreement according to your requirements. Once paid and agreed, I then supply the high resolution image directly to you.
Byee!
Last words are a general blurb.. However please do share my art journal if you find its a pleasure to yourself, and know that your time in reading it is appreciated! And also your times skimming over what does not speak to you is equally valuable… We all hope and maybe pray for discernment in life to find what is nourishing and beneficial to us.
Why read “Jenny Meehan – Contemporary Artist’s Journal: The Artist’s Meandering Discourses – poetry – painting – spirituality (mostly!)?
This artist’s blog is of interest to artists, art collectors, art lovers and anyone interested in fine art and creativity in general. Those interested in British 21st century female contemporary artists, women and art, religious art, spirituality and art, and psychoanalysis and art, will probably enjoy dipping into this Jenny Meehan Contemporary Artist’s Journal.
Art collectors are often interested in the processes, techniques, interests and influences of the artists whose work they collect, and sharing my thoughts and perspectives through a blog is an important dimension of my creative practice.
I describe my painting as being romantic, expressionistic, abstract and lyrical. Art collectors interested in lyrical abstraction, abstract expressionist, and essentially romantic art, are likely to find my paintings an interesting and exciting addition to their art collection.
I am a versatile, innovative, self-representing artist, whose aim is to ensure I continue to develop my painting practice in an innovative and pioneering way. The gamut of my creative artworking is wide, ranging from poetry, accessible open edition digital prints, new media, and sculpture. It’s my belief that this openness helps to keep the trajectory of my output dynamic and progressive.
I hope to add to the number of people who value, collect, and develop an interest in my paintings and to thereby sustain and develop my practice over many years.
I’ve been exhibiting my art for over ten years now, mostly in the UK. My artwork has been shown in over 90 exhibitions of many kinds. My artwork appeals to the aesthetic and emotional discernment of many, and has been displayed in many art galleries including the Dulwich Picture Gallery, Pallant House Gallery, the Stanley Picker Gallery, and Kingston Museum.
My artwork has been included in several academic projects and and publications including “Speaking Out – Women Recovering from the Trauma of Violence” by Nicole Fayard in 2014 and the ongoing “Recovery” Exhibition project – Institute Of Mental Health/City Arts, Nottingham University, also in 2014
While my romantic, lyrical, expressionistic, abstract paintings offer a contemplative space free from cares and concerns, other strands of my practice engage with subjects ranging from violence, trauma recovery, psychoanalysis, and mental health.
As an abstract artist with an expressionist and romantic orientation, most of my creative engagement is a deeply personal, contemplative, practice more than anything else.
However, I do also enjoy engagement with other subject matter, as there are many aspects of society, cultural life, history, and issues which interest me, and so I adapt my approach accordingly. This results in a versatile, diverse output, which I find helpful.
I treasure the eclectic nature of my artistic practice as it appears to serve the useful purpose of creating numerous creative possibilities which I find exciting and stimulating. This keeps me motivated and helps my work progress. Its all about experimentation and exploration in the end.
General Information on Jenny Meehan AKA jennyjimjams
…..
Jenny Meehan
I’m a Painter-Poet, visual artist, contemplative, writer, and mentor (Progressive Christian faith centred) based in East Surrey/South West London, UK.
Support my art working by buying products printed with my designs/art images on Redbubble! Not forgetting, of course, high quality original fine paintings, available direct from me!
Geometric and lyrical abstraction from London/Surrey based female British Contemporary Artist.
I’m interested in spirituality (particularly Christ centred spirituality), creativity, emotional and psychological well-being, trauma recovery, and mindfulness.
I exhibit mainly in the UK, and am a member of Kingston Artists’ Open Studios (KAOS).
I have trained both with SPIDIR and through a variety of other training bodies as a spiritual mentor/prayer guide.
I am a trained teacher (PGCE) and hold small groups for developing painting and drawing skills, as well as offering individual tuition., either online or in person.
If you are less interested in original fine art and paintings, but would like to have something with my digital imagery on it, then go to:
https://www.redbubble.com/people/JennyMeehan
and
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams
Where you can buy selected art and design.
Redbubble are a print on demand business. When you buy products with my art and design on the artist’s margin I receive helps fund my creative arts practice. Every little helps.
Many of my original paintings are available for purchase when no longer required for exhibition. Price range normally is between £200 and £900, though commissioned artworks in a format larger than A0 have a higher price bracket.
I regularly license images of my work via the Designers and Artists Copyright Society (DACS). Industry rates are proposed for image licences via DACS, but contact me directly via this jennymeehan.wordpress.com blog with your requirements and budget. Fees for image licences are negotiable. As a living artist member of DACS, I have the final say in the image licence fees I accept and depending on circumstances I can offer flexibility for art image licence fees to suit your budget. Contact jenny meehan in the first instance via this jennymeehan.wordpress.com art journal.
All content is © Jenny Meehan.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts of writing and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jenny Meehan with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Images may not be used without permission.
Please note that all images of my artwork are subject to copyright law: All rights reserved. In the first instance, contact me, and I will refer, as/if appropriate.
If you are looking for artwork, particularly abstract, colourist, expressionistic lyrical abstraction type painting images suitable for book covers etc, then do contact me as I might have something to suit which will be quick and easy to license via DACS
June Art Journal – Artist Creative Jenny Meehan Art Blog – Online Art Gallery and Art Exhibitions Information
June 6, 2021
Jenny Meehan AKA jennyjimjams self portrait 2021 ©Jenny meehan
It’s always such a pleasure to meet people and take part in #OpenStudios. Oh well, maybe next year!
Abstract Painting: One a Month for 2021
I got a little behind my schedule and so didn’t post April’s Abstract Painting up in my last blog post. So here it is a little late. It’s title is “Crossroad”. The theme is broadly that of order and chaos… When I refer to “theme” I’m thinking of loose associations suggested mentally and emotionally rather than subject matter.
Crossroad abstract lyrical painting by Jenny Meehan AKA jennyjimjams ©Jenny Meehan
Mysterium Fascinans ©Jenny Meehan Abstract Digital Collage A Visual Meditation on the wonder of the Oneness of Creator God
Exhibition Page for Jenny Meehan Contemporary Artist’s Journal!
jenny meehan
Jenny Meehan Art Exhibitions
I might have missed out a few, but will check through more thoroughly when I prepare a separate page! For some odd reason the text has lost all spaces… I haven’t been able to rectify so have put strings of dots between different exhibitions. Very confused about that! Exhibitions 2020 An interesting year with many exhibitions being cancelled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Here’s a few things which still, kind of, happened! Humanising Medicine Exhibition, part of the Being Human Festival 2020. Festival Theme: “New Worlds”. An art exhibition to share people’s experiences of Covid_19. A public outdoor magnet exhibition at Queen Mary University of London, and available online as part of the Being Human Festival between 12th and 20th November. Also 19th November/18th December in Barts Pathology Museum, London EC1A 7BE Jenny Meehan exhibited “More of a Barrier than Intended” Digital Collage ……. All in the Mind Festival 2020 Scheduled for12 Sep, 11:00 – 18:00 Eastrop Park, Eastrop Ln, Basingstoke RG21 4QB. Took place online due to Coronavirus Pandemic. “All in the Mind” is an annual performing arts festival inspired by mental health, organised by the Fluid Motion Theatre Company. Jenny Meehan’s Short Film “Time Table” (Edition 2) screened during festival. …… Riddle 57: an interactive animation Venue: online organised by Double Elephant Print Workshop Double Elephant Print Workshop launched a lockdown project to bring together poets, historians, animators and printmakers to turn a 1000 year old riddle into an animated interactive encounter. Riddle 57 is one of 94 from the Exeter Book, a tenth-century anthology of poetry in Exeter Cathedral’s library, recognised by UNESCO as one of the world’s principal cultural artefacts. DEPW collaborated with Medievalists Prof Chris Jones and Dr Megan Cavell as well as contemporary poet Jacob Polley to explore translations of the text. Jenny Meehan’s artwork included: “Full of Song When Keyed Together”. Published online 20th August 2020. View project here: https://www.doubleelephant.org.uk/riddle-57 …… Chaiya Art Awards. Not exhibited, but Jenny Meehan’s artwork “Light Touch” got through the first round of the selection process. From over 700 entries, made it into the longlist of 113. Chaiya Art Awards, initially scheduled for 10 – 19 April 2020 gallery oxo, London, SE1 9PH. …… “Dwell Time” Online Exhibition ongoing “Dwell Time” printed publication Launch on 15th July. Dwell Time Issue 2 is available to order by post and a pdf download available from the Dwell Time website. The print publication and pdf are free with only postage costs applicable. https://dwelltimepress.wordpress.com/issue2/ My submission “Sticky Note to Myself” was included in the printed publication and also selected for one of an edition of Ten contributions on display at Huddersfield Railway Station from December 3rd 2020 …… The Art of Caring was planned be exhibited twice. First, at St Georges Hospital (May 2020) to help celebrate InternationalNursesDay. Secondly, at St Pancras Hospital (July-Oct 2020) Due to the pandemic, it’s an online exhibition over the month of May only. Jenny Meehan’s artwork “Take Care of Ourselves/Eating Your Greens” featured on 06/05/2020 …… MADE exhibition May 2020 (scheduled 29th April – 7th May) Online for time being (probably rescheduled to be at Menier Gallery 2021) MADE 2020 Online Exhibition Launch May 11th 2020 (@MadeAtMorley) …… “75 Memorials. A Community Remembers” at Landmark Arts Centre, Teddington TW11 9NN 15 Jan- 2nd February 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Part of the Borough’s Holocaust Memorial Day programme and in commemoration of this major anniversary. London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames and the Landmark Arts Centre, Teddington. …… Exhibitions 2019 Open Projections: Digital Art Exhibition NYE@ Coventry Cathedral 7:30 pm – 1 Jan 1:00 am Open projections 4 is at Location Coventry Cathedral Priory St, Coventry CV1 5FB, UK Jenny Meehan’s Short Film “Wonder” was shown as part of this exhibition. …… “Time Table” (1st Edition) Short Film Screening shown on 3rd December 2019 at STRETCH – Reel Time event. Held at Mirabel Studios 14 -20 Mirabel Street Manchester M31PJ …… Humanizing Medicine Exhibition at Barts Pathology Museum 14th – 23rd November at 24 West Smithfield London EC1A 7BE Part of the “Being Human national festival of the humanities, led by the School of Advanced Study University of London in partnership with the Arts & Humanities Research Council and the British Academy …… “Subterraneous Exhibition” The North Pennines AONB Partnership. Gallery@Bowlees Visitor Centre, Upper Teesdale, Sept 1st – 30th …… Shape Open at Bow Arts’ Nunnery Gallery from Friday 6th September until Thursday 19th September, 10am to 5pm …… Digital Innovations in Mental Health 2019 Conference Exhibition, Deans Yard, Westminster School, London 13th 14th August …… Tales of the Monsters in my Head’ Exhibition at Tristan Bates Theatre, London 14th -16th August …… Pavilion Late: The Art of Identity 19th July Dulwich Picture Gallery Gallery Road, London SE21 7AD ……. eMotion interactive art exhibit at the Tate Modern 11 16 June 2019, 12-5pm daily as part of the Ideas in Motion exhibition. One of several contributors to this project during Mental Health Awareness Week 2019 …….. Kingston Artists Open Studios 2019 8th-16th June ……. “Dreams and Dreaming’ February and March 2019 at the Sharp Gallery Brixton, SW9 ……. “Mosaic” Exhibition at City Lit, Holborn, London WC2B 9th – 23rd Feb ……. Exhibitions 2018 “Ecstasy In Norwich” (Art exhibition centred on Julian of Norwich c. 8 November 1342-c 1416,English anchoress Christian mystic and theologian. Her Revelations of Divine Love, written around 1395, is the first book in the English language known to have been written by a woman.) at Lower Green Gallery, Norwich, Norfolk, B- 22nd December 2018 ……. Kingston Art 2018: My Muybridge Art Exhibition, Kingston Museum, Wheatfield Way, Kingston upon Thames KT1 2PS My painted collage “Mind’s Eye” is part of this exhibition The exhibition showcased 24 Kingston-based artists responses to Kingston Museum’s photographic Muybridge Collection ……. Small World Futures” 2018, On the streets around London Bridge, at the Unsettled Gallery for an unknown time, depending on what happens to it! Jenny Meehan’s “Vibe Drome’, among other small worlds. Writing by Natalie Low accompanies the Piece. “Small World Futures is a collection of 38 miniature sculptures depicting what life could look like in years to come. Each of these small artworks will be placed in public spaces (unsettled gallery) around London Bridge Every day throughout February we will be featuring one of these worlds here on the website A writer will also use the world as an inspiration to create something new and fresh, their words describing the shape of a new world” As part of this Collect Connect project my place “Vibe Drome will make its journey to the streets of London For more information: http://collectconnect.blogspot.co.uk/ ……. Exhibitions 2017 Roach Rd, London E3 2PA “Woman and Home” Nasty Women Exhibition 22nd – 24th September 2017 7 framed signed artist’s print donated. (The Nasty Women Global Art Movement was started in New York to increase tolerance and garner support for individual rights using the universal platform of art as a forum for self-expression. Nasty Women UK is an intersectional movement bringing together people of all genders, races, faiths and LGBTQIA Identities. We want to give everyone who has ever felt silenced a voice, and are appealing to anyone who is committed to advancing equal rights to submit works for inclusion in this inspiring weekend of events.) http://www.nastywomenuk.com ……. Kingston Artists Open Studios KAOS OPEN STUDIOS 10th/111h and 17th/18th June 2017115 pm at Studio KAOS 2, 14 Liverpool Road Kingston KT2 7SZ http://www.kingstonartistsopenstudios.co.uk/ ……. Chester Art Centre Open Exhibition 2017 juried “Leap of Faith” selected for hanging at Joseph Benjamin Restaurant 140 Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 2HT June/July 2017 ……. It’s Raining.Cats and Dogs” Exhibition at The Art Space, first floor Cass Art, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1NW 10th – 18th June 2017 ……. The Art of Caring Exhibition. On the theme of care, caring and sustainability to celebrate international nurses day 2017. 3rd – 12th May 2017 Ground Floor, Atkinson Morley Wing. St Georges Hospital, London, SW17 0QT The exhibition will next go onto St Pancras Hospital from July to October 2017 My work “NHS Financial Pressures’ selected for The Arts Project Art of Caring Exhibition 2017 at The Conference Centre Gallery, St Pancras Hospital, London NW1 OPE 20th July – 19th October 2017. Open weekdays 9 – 5pm ……. Transgender, Gender & Psychoanalysis Exhibition (a fringe event for The SITE for Contemporary Psychoanalysis and The Freud Museum conference 11 – 12 March 2017). Draper House, Elephant and Castle, London SE1 6SY Exhibition runs 6th – 12th March 11am- 6pm Work selected. ……. Art at Cafe JAX, London Road Kingston Upon Thames, KT2 6QF from 2nd January 2017 ongoing. KAOS Group Exhibition Exhibitions 2016 … Collect Connect Retrospective – 30th November until 8th December 2016, daily from 9am to 5pm (Closed Sat & Sun) Kensington and Chelsea College Gallery (Hortensia Rd, London, SW10 0QS Exhibition displaying a mixture of artwork, photographs and ephemera from these exhibitions – Open Fridge Fab Fridge 2010, Freeze Chester, Unblank, Lightbite, Brighton Open, SMartwalks, Rarities 2011. Patternotion, Art Jazzed Up, Jawspring, Cambridge Blue Plaque Walk, Hidebird 2012, MagnetBird, Freed Book, Future Bound, Cardboard City, Fab Fridge 2014, Dwell – Book of Nets. On the map, Art of Caring 2015, Art of Caring 2016, Relationship Map, Chapbooks, Postcards to My Future Self …… “Bah Humbug” KAos (Kingston Artists Open Studios) Christmas Exhibition 26th Nov – 11th Dec 2016 The Art Space at Cass Arts, Kingston Upon Thames.KT1 1NW Group show ……. Visual Arts Charity Exhibition ( Express CIC) – Opening Night Tuesday, December 6th, 2016 (19:00 -21:00) Donations from sale of artwork go to Express CIC. At Cornerhouse Arts Centre, Surbiton Surrey KT6. 7SB 27th Nov – 31st Dec 2016 Charity Exhibition and Auction held by Basis, Yorkshire. 9th December 2016 at Hyde Park Book Club, 27-29 Headingley Ln, Leeds LS6 1BL and then at The Brunswick, 82 North Street, Mabgate, Leeds, LS2 7PN for two weeks. ……. Imagined Worlds Exhibition – A touring exhibition of artworks inspired by the poem ‘Kubla Khan’ written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1816. This is a celebration by the Friends of Coleridge supported by Somerset Art Works, working in partnership with the National Trust, CICCIC Taunton, and Art at the Heart, RUH Bath CICCIC Memorial Hall, Paul St, Taunton TA1 3PF 7 October -12 November 2016 PV 21 October 2016 Work selected Royal United Hospital Bath 19th January – 28th April 2017 Coleridge Cottage Nether Stowey Thursday to Monday, 4 May-22 May 2017, 11am-5pm …… Anagrams at Kingston Museum, Kingston Art 2016: Wheatfield Way, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 2PS. 29 April 2016 to 2 July 2016 Juried show ……. “Building Bridges, the Female Perspective” 8th March Sept 2016 organised by Southwark Arts Forum & Tower Bridge Art at the Bridge #7. Tower Bridge Victorian Engine Rooms Tower Bridge Road London SE1 2UP. Juried show ……. The Art of Caring Exhibition at The Upper Circle Gallery, The Rose Theatre, Kingston-upon-Thames from the 12th to 24th May 2016 ……. CornerHouse Charity Exhibition for “Straight Talking Charity at Cornerhouse Arts Centre, Surbiton, Surrey Nov 30th – Dec 31st 2016 …… Exhibitions 2015 Challenging Behaviour Foundation Charity Exhibition Sun Pier House, Sun Pier, Medway Street, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4HF 3 November 2015 – 29 November 2015 ……. Court Farm Cafe Group Exhibition, organised by Kingston Arts Cafe at Court Farm Garden Centre, Worcester Park, Surrey KT4 7QH October 2015 – January 2016 …….. A Letter in Mind – The Art of Journey.Charity Exhibition at Gallery@oxo, South Bank London SE1 9PH 8th October until 18th October 2015. My donated work sold for this worthy cause ……. Brighton Sussex University Hospitals Trust National Transplant Week 2015 (7th-13th September) public art exhibition in Brighton UK at the Brighton Jubilee Library Jubilee St, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1GE Items 13 and 14 were my donations. ……. The Story So Far’, organised by Acton Arts Forum, at W3 Gallery, 185 Acton High Street, W3 9DJ From 1 July to 14th July 2015, …….. KAOS (Kingston Artists Open Studios ‘Selfie Exhibition in The Art Space at Cass Arts, Kingston Upon Thames. 6 – 14th June ……… “Flying Colours” Joint exhibition of prints, Leatherhead Theatre, Leatherhead (Jenny Meehan and Chris Birch) 3rd – 30th May 2015 …….. “Day of Reflection on Spiritual Homelessness at St Nicholas Church, Guildford GU2 4AW on 11th April 2015. Six paintings shown as part of a group exhibition ……. “Tiny Bones and Lasting Stones of Memory” (poem and painting) shown as part of Holocaust Memorial Day – Keeping the Memory Alive Through Art Exhibition, Kingston University, 16th – 17th March Juried Exhibition Kingston Museum, 26 March – 23 April 2015, Kingston College, 24th – 28th April 2015 and at the Council Chambers, Kingston Upon Thames 1st February (Third prize in adult category) …….. Exhibitions 2014 KAOS Exhibition at All Saints Church, Kingston upon Thames KT1 1JP 11th Nov – 25th Nov Kingston Artists Open Studios Group Exhibition ……. “Breaking the Chains” (Anti human trafficking) Exhibition at Tower Gallery, Memorial Community Church, 395 Barking Road, London E13 8AL. 16th October – 6th November. Selected ……. “A Letter in Mind”.The National Brain Appeal Exhibition Charity Exhibition) at gallery@oxo, Oxo Tower Wharf, Bargehouse Street, South Bank, London, SE1 9PH. 2nd October – 5th October. Selected and donated work sold ……. Dulwich Picture Gallery Open Exhibition, Gallery Road, London SE21 7AD 30th Sept – 12th Oct 2015. Juried, (Selection panel headed by ian Dejardin, and including Rebecca Fortnum. Clive Head, Nicky Hirst and Elo Schuneman) ……. NewArt@Baker Tilly, Baker Tilly, 3rd Floor, One London Square, Cross Lanes Guildford GUT UN 7th June -20th September. Selected ……. Court Farm KAOS (Kingston Artists’ Open Studios) Cafe at Court Farm Garden Centre, Worcester Park, Surrey, 3rd May – 27th July ……. Multiple Sclerosis Trust The Secret Art Show (Charity Exhibition) Spirella Building, Bridge Road, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire SG6 4ET, 30th April – 7th May ……. Artists Meet Open Exhibition, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire WD3 1EH. 3rd March – 6th May 2014 Juried Exhibition …….. Drawn Together” Riverside Gallery, Old Town Hall Richmond Upon Thames TW9 1TP. 1st March – 25th May 2014 Juried. ……. “Sacred Spaces” KAOS Exhibition curated by Jenny Meehan, Leatherhead Theatre, Leatherhead. May 3- 31st 2014. Seven members of Kingston Artists’ Open Studios. …….. Speaking Out – Women Recovering from the Trauma of Violence Embrace Arts at the RA Centre Leicester University, Leicester 13 January – 28th March 2014 Juried Exhibition ……. Drawing Inspiration Holocaust Memorial Day Trust A-Side B-Side Gallery, Hackney Downs Studios, E8 2BT. 23rd Jan – 3rd Feb 2014 Highly Commended awarded Juried ……. “Recovery” Exhibition – Institute Of Mental Health/City Arts at Nottingham University NG7 2TU Nov 6th 2013 – May 2014 Juried Exhibition ……. Exhibitions 2013 “Recovery” Exhibition – Institute Of Mental Health/City Arts at Nottingham University NG7 2TU Nov 6th 2013 – May 2014 ……. Brixton Drawing Project Exhibition Brixton East, Brixton, SW9 Sunday 6th October ……. Orange Tree Theatre KAOS Group Exhibition Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond upon Thames, Surrey 23rd Oct – 30th Nov. ……. PARTIA “Collective Nostalgia at Aintree University Hospital Liverpool 1st Oct-1 st Nov 2013. Juried ……. Court Farm KAOS (Kingston Artists Open Studios) Group Exhibition. Cafe at Court Farm Garden Centre, Worcester Park, Surrey Sept 3rd – November 2013 …….. “Not The Royal Academy exhibition at Llewellyn Alexander Fine Paintings. London SE1 June – August Juried Exhibition ……. “Allotted” Curated Exhibition at The Beetroot Tree Gallery, Draycott, Derbyshire 15th June – 27th July 2013 Juried ……. “Lines Curated Exhibition at The Strand Gallery, London. Juried Exhibition June 2013 ……… Cornerhouse Arts Centre, Surbiton, Surrey, Jenny Meehan Recent Work, Solo Exhibition. June 2013 …….. Group Exhibition “Order and KAOS” (For Painters from Kingston Artists Open Studios) Leatherhead Theatre (curated by Jenny Meehan) 4th-31st May …….. Dugout Women’s Inclusive Festival – The Hoxton Arches, Cremer Street, E2 8HD (2nd March 2013) Juried ……. Open Exhibition at The Classroom Gallery, Nottingham. Selected. March 23 – April 5th ……. National Open Exhibition 2013 at Electric Picture House Congleton Cheshire March 9th – 30th Juried Exhibition ……. 2012 September – December Alliance Healthcare Exhibition, Alliance Healthcare, Chessington Surrey (SOLO) ……. The Bog Standard Gallery, Artists Meet Watersmeet, Rickmansworth Hertfordshire. WD3 1EH December 2012 …….. The Ark Centre Autumn Exhibition, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG24 9NN. October/November 2012 ……. Artists Meet Open Exhibition, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire WD3 1EH. September/October 2012 ……. Cranleigh Arts Centre Open Exhibition, Cranleigh, Surrey GU6 8AS June 2012 Juried ……. Some Kind Of Narrative” Giant Exhibition at Leatherhead Theatre, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 8DN Stephanie Greenslade – Jenny Meehan. 29th April – 25th May 2012 …….. Hidden Artists” Exhibition at Denbies Picture Gallery 2012, Denbies Wine Estate, Charity fundraising event for NSPCC …….. 2011 Jigsaw4U international.org project “Strong Voices Event 2011 at The Rose Theatre, Kingston Upon Thames in October (sculpture and photographs Charity event ………. Cranleigh Arts Centre Open Exhibition 2011 at Cranleigh Arts Centre, Cranleigh, Surrey GU6 8AS June 2011 Juried Exhibition ………. “Hidden Artists Exhibition at Denbies Picture Gallery 2011, Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking, Surrey fundraising exhibition for NSPCC 2010 Pallant House Gallery/St Wilfrid’s Hospice Open Art Exhibition at Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, West Sussex. 3rd June – 2nd July 2010 Juried Exhibition ……. SOLO EXHIBITIONS (Self Organised in Community Spaces) ……. *Jenny Meehan -Recent Paintings and Prints Cornerhouse Arts Centre, Surbiton Surrey June 2013 …….. “Paintings – Jenny Meehan ” Alliance Healthcare, Chessington, Surrey Sept-Dec 2012 ……. PRIZES/AWARD 2nd Prize in Digital Art Category of Chester Art Centre Open Exhibition 2017 (Leap of Faith digital print) Painting and Poetry – Third Prize in “Keeping the Memory Alive through Art”, Kingston Inter Faith Forum Kingston University, Kingston Upon Thames February 2015 Painting – Highly Commended – Needhams Open Art Competition 2009. Cambridgeshire, UK. Juried Exhibition Poetry – Finalist (second place) in Literary Mary’poetry competition March 2009 Painting – Highly Commended – “Drawing inspiration Competition Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, January 2014 PUBLICATIONS Many book covers, some research publications, inclusion in various catalogues Contact for further information if required. Well, need a picture now after all that! Makes me feel tired even thinking about it!
sunflower by Jenny Meehan ©Jenny Meehan
How to Support Jenny Meehan
I have just created myself an account through which you can gift me a small amount in appreciation of my creative work… Take a look and if you feel so inclined please make a financial gift to me safely and securely through this means! Every little helps! https://ko-fi.com/jennymeehan
Face coverings for Deaf People in Coronavirus Pandemic
Deaf Awareness Mask Designer Jenny Meehan
Masks for deaf people in Coronavirus Pandemic Reusable facemasks Redbubble shop designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams
Mental Health Awareness
jenny meehan paintings at the institute of Mental Health Nottingham part of Recovery City Arts Exhibition
Shows “Pink Girl” top and “Bandage Box” below.
Bandage Box painting on show at Recovery University of Leicester Institute of Mental Health
Pink Girl painting by Jenny Meehan © Jenny Meehan DACS All Rights Reserved
Lyrical Abstraction Paintings
A selection of my original paintings. Now without my old website, and feeling there is so much of my geometric, flat colour artwork on the Internet, I’m attempting to ensure my painting doesn’t get forgotten i think!
jenny meehan abstract paintings “Opening the Way”
Ahh, those were the days! That’s me at Kingston Artists’ Open Studios!
British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour blue white grey original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour blue white grey original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour blue white grey original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour blue white grey original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
unerring want of running water painting jenny meehan
British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
the gift of orange where the still point is abstract painting jenny meehan
British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
Pillar and Moon British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
yoga Inhale British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
Yoga Exhale British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
Title Pilgrimage British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
Drop in the Ocean British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
Becoming British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
Buried Mother British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
“Release” painting jenny meehan abstract paintings
jenny meehan abstract paintings
jenny meehan abstract paintings title Light Touch
Breath Two British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
Vista British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
unerring want of running water painting one jenny meehan British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
Joy Pain British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
Debris Painting by Jenny Meehan © Jenny Meehan British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
the snail in the studio jenny meehan abstract painting British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
waterfight mad moment British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
Simple Piece British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
“The Realm of Inbetween/Pushing it a bit” abstract lyrical expressionist british paintings jenny meehan British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
No Fear British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
Harbour Painting abstract lyrical expressionist british paintings jenny meehan© Jenny Meehan
“River Journey” abstract lyrical expressionist british paintings jenny meehan© Jenny Meehan
Mending British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
Resurrection One British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
Jenny Meehan’s Studio Tent for Painting
Cove – Jenny Meehan Acrylic Painting British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
Very textural…which you cannot see too well here!
Alabaster Loving – Oil Painting by Jenny Meehan British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
bird and fountain naive art style painting oil on linen by jenny meehan British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
Whatever You Want – Abstract painting by Jenny Meehan British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
Bright and Breezy” Jenny Meehan Acrylic and Oil Painting
There’s a little memory from childhood of a tuft of a tree growing on the edge of a cliff
British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
Oil on canvas 50x70cm painting by Jenny Meehan a personal
response to Max Beckmann and Dodd Procter in terms of style and subject… I’ve wanted to paint this for ages!
Running (one) painting for Holocaust Memorial Day by Jenny Meehan . One of three entries to the “Drawing Inspiration” Competition. “Running (one) was shortlisted “Highly Commended”
save our souls oil painting based on an image by frissel. I also had in mind Ophelia in Hamlet, on finding the madness of Hamlet. British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
RealisationBritish painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
London Downpour British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
deluge British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
Calm down photo by Jenny Meehan ©Jenny Meehan
Another #photo
As a passionate tea lover… This image covers two big dimensions of my lived experience… Drinking tea and processing anger! ( thankfully, in reality, not expressed through throwing objects!)
Apologies re the hash tags.. I have copied and pasted from my jennymeehan_jennymeehan Instagram account.
“In my photographs I consider light and darkness, black and white, tones and markmaking rather than colour. I tend to keep the #colour #love moving in my paintings or designs now rather than photography.
Also, it’s worked out that the majority of my painting has moved into abstraction, with only occasional figurative elements being incorporated at times.
Most of my pictorial imagery is either photographic or drawn. I often use collage or digital collage to experiment with combining these two strands of my creative practice as I continue to enjoy graphic arts.”
Well, that’s it from me this June. I’m busy making the most of the good weather, which means I can work outside in the fresh air with generous amounts of beautiful Keim Mineral paint and experiment to my hearts content on a larger scale than possible in my studio tent or on my painters table, AKA the kitchen table.How to Support Jenny Meehan
I have just created myself an account through which you can gift me a small amount in appreciation of my creative work… Take a look and if you feel so inclined please make a financial gift to me safely and securely through this means! Every little helps! https://ko-fi.com/jennymeehan
March Abstract Painting; Sabbath – Artist Jenny Meehan
March abstract lyrical painting expressionist romantic art artist jenny meehan ©Jenny meehan jennyjimjams
Well, I’m doing very many things right now, but true to my word, I have one of my monthly abstract paintings to show you. In some ways I don’t like showing them quite so soon as I normally keep my paintings hidden for a good few months before I show them, but for this year I will be different. With the Coronavirus pandemic and no Open Studios events I won’t have the usual opportunity to show recent work so I need to display my paintings online a bit more consistently over the course of this year.
This is a painting which includes collaged elements. The roots of my love of painting can be found in several places yet a significant one is time spent gazing at walls in need of repair and decoration. Well, , not just walls, but peeling layers or paper, paint, metal, plastic: coatings and coverings of various kinds subjected to wear and tear, the elements, and the general effects of time! It’s not surprising to me that I now see my fascination emerging in my paintings. I’ve beaten my way through some rigorous experiments with colour and texture, and now expressing the idea of “beauty from brokenness” partly through the use of torn and cut collaged pieces seems to sit well with me.
While I am naming these monthly paintings by each month, it doesn’t agree with me to not think a little deeper, so as is the case with a lot of my original fine paintings I have also given the March painting an additional name; Sabbath. Myself and my husband have been thinking and talking a lot about Sabbath rest, and the need to just stop and have breaks in the passages of activity which run so enthusiastically through.
April’s painting is still in progress… So will be a bit late! And you see, my April blog post has moved into May…. Oh dear!
I have just created myself an account through which you can gift me a small amount in appreciation of my creative work… I will use the money for materials rather than coffee I suspect, though I will enjoy a coffee or two from time to time! Take a look and if you feel so inclined please make a small financial gift to me safely and securely through this means! Every little helps! https://ko-fi.com/jennymeehan
Frank Bowling Painter
This is an extract from a really interesting read on the artist Frank Bowling.
The constant pushing of boundaries regarding experimentation with paint and materials is obviously very inspiring!
https://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/tate-papers/31/frank-bowling-material-explorations
https://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/tate-papers/31/frank-bowling-material-explorations
This section on Frank Bowling’s larger poured paintings is a joy to read… Also very interesting is how he changed his painting when in a smaller space in London and makes mie delight again, as always that “Necessity is the Mother of Invention”.
“London and the ‘poured paintings’
Always looking for new ways of painting, both in terms of representation and the application of materials, Bowling stopped creating map paintings around 1973. He wanted to remove all signs of direct touch and directed application of paint, to move away from expressionist gesture and ‘invent [new] ways of using the traditional ways of applying paint’.
Thus began a new phase of painting for Bowling when he produced what are now referred to as the ‘poured paintings’.
Bowling created these poured paintings using a self-made wooden contraption that allowed him to tip, tilt and twist the canvas while the paint was poured directly onto it from heights of up to two metres. In this way he could exert a certain level of control over the direction and speed at which the paint travelled down the canvas, while also allowing it to find its own paths. Bowling first experimented with this method in France in 1973 while visiting artist Elizabeth Frink. He then developed the process further when he returned to New York, where the large loft space he rented lent itself to such a physical and expansive technique.
The tilting platform was 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) in length and had pins in the legs at one end that allowed Bowling to adjust the angle of the board and thereby the speed at which the paint travelled. Bowling tacked raw cotton duck canvas onto this board, then soaked the canvas in soapy water until it was dripping wet in order to release the surface tension of the fibres so that the ‘surface becomes taut and allows the paint to move more smoothly and easily down the surface’.
and
“After this, the paint was applied at the upper edge of the canvas, and the board was lifted and the paint allowed to run and spill down to the bottom, resulting in richly layered shifts of colour. Agility was key; Bowling made these paintings completely alone and ran between the two ends of the mechanism, tilting and then catching it again before the paint reached the bottom so that the colours swirled back on themselves. As Bowling described it: ‘I gradually take the pegs out of the table legs so the paint just gradually moved from high to low. And of course, you have to watch it like a hawk because it could run too fast and then you’d have to settle it down. And then sometimes I would let it just go whoosh.'”
After this extract, the article then goes on to describe how the limited studio space Frank Bowling had when in London affected his paintings and also how the way the paint was dried very quickly, (out of necessity due to limited space) , produced paint effects which Frank Bowling liked and replicated later.
I find it comforting to read this… Its an example of how what can first appear as restrictions don’t automatically mean the outcome of them is restrictive. With my own painting what I do is certainly affected, for example, by the seasons. Activities carried out in the Studio Tent are different to those painting experiments and experiences done in the garden. The weather has a big impact. I too use different drying conditions to influence what happens with the paint. I use light and the way is varies over the course of the year to direct the kind of creative calendar I follow. It is an inspiring and wonderful thing to respond naturally in a spirit of exploration and positive anticipation of new things coming out of apparent limitations.
I remember seeing a programme on Frank Bowling… I think it was last year, and though he then relied on others more physically due to restrictions on his own mobility, it wasn’t a negative… It isn’t… It is just difference of circumstances and adaptions and changes which alter a process. It is no “less” Frank Bowling’s painting.
When we face change it involves loss. But it is not loss into nothingness. It is a movement into more. Its just we don’t know what that more is, and it can be scary because of that.
I sometimes think this is why I love painting so much? I put myself constantly in a place of risk. It may be an odd aspect of having been too well acquainted with fear, insecurity and trauma in my developmental years? Maybe a positive aspect is that fear in the realm of painting actually seems very safe in comparison? I don’t know… I could be getting over analytical here but it’s an interesting consideration I feel.
Coronavirus Pandemic Art Design Project
On a slightly different matter, I would again like to include something about my Coronavirus Pandemic creative art project. It is the case that now the weather is improving and I am able to move into my Studio Tent. So, rather like the birds in their nests, after much moving around of objects and clutter, and rearrangement of elements, a place is prepared for the birth of new wonders… YES….it is the beginning of the painting season for me! So I will be less on the computer! But I do still add the occasional new design option for my facecovering range. I will continue to do so. Even with the vaccinations I think this Pandemic will need a lot of patience and the wearing of facecoverings is going to be a long term experience for us all.
I’ve designed 200 + options deaf. Deaf, lipreaders, hard of hearing, hearing loss, etc facemasks! This week, (now in May…Oops! is deaf awareness week once again. So I good time to flag these up once more.
It’s my coronavirus pandemic creative art project. This has provided a useful option for face coverings I believe and its my way of using my creative abilities in a more explicitly useful way. By the way, I don’t see my painting as not useful, however, I can see that when it comes to buying things, buying a face covering at the present time will probably feel a bit more of a utilitarian move for many than buying a painting!
Redbubble manufacture and fulfil your order, and offer worldwide delivery and excellent quality and service.
As well as my deaf awareness range, printed on masks, badges, stickers and more, and consisting of over 200 different designs, I have many other fashionable and decorative, face covers here on my artist profile at Redbubble, plus beautiful interior decoration designs for home and office.
If you like to double up your facemask the unfitted Redbubble masks work really well over a disposable mask if you only want the deaf awareness communication prompt for specific situations.
I hope they are helpful and do please give your feedback for this coronavirus pandemic creative project as I’ve been working hard and feel passionate about it being a useful resource.
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennymeehan
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams
Jenny Meehan/jennyjimjams are both Redbubble artist portfolios of British contemporary Artist Designer Jenny Meehan.
Here are some examples from the range of over 200 options!
Digital Innovations in Mental Health Conference – Project by Dr Becky Inkster
A couple of years ago I contributed to this event by bringing some of my art along for an exhibition as part of the DIMH conference in London. I attended the conference and found it amazing… Very interesting indeed and very well organised. This year it will be online, as it was last year, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
I have contributed my short film/video
An Online Vigil; “Watch and Pray” Violence Video Poem by Artist/ Writer Jenny Meehan
I created this video poem over March 2021.
My understanding of a vigil is that it might be a place where we stand together, and draw our attention to the shared experience of gender based violence. As a survivor, shame can be isolating, yet for even those women and girls who don’t have a direct experience, they, too, feel the effects of gender based violence of many kinds in our societies and communities. It leaves its mark. It devalues us, making us a commodity. It objectifies. It deletes. It silences. It can destroy a sense of self, and rob a person of a concept of their value.
In my video, I read a poem I initially wrote way back in 2013. You also hear variations of the reading; though they are spoken by me in the video, my intention is that they symbolise many different peoples voices; suggesting not only a singular testimony but a corporate one. There are many different visual references in the short film, but they are best just viewed without my additional comments I think.
Some background information on the poem:
I contributed three pieces of my visual art to an exhibition at Embrace Arts, the University of Leicester’s Arts Centre, January to March 2014, which was part of a research project and Symposium called “Speaking Out; Survivors, Artists and Public Services Against Gender Violence”. My contribution involved answering some questions about some of my own experiences of violence. The process resulted in me writing the poem “Violence”, though it was not included in my submission at the time. I kept it for myself.
My Christian faith is a big dimension of my life, and a constant inspiration, so the concept of a Vigil resonates for me in a particular way in relation to that.
The making of the video has been a devotional act; yes, a form of prayer; through which I have been able to look back on the day (over 35 years ago) in which I was drugged and raped, and hold it in my mind. I have held it in my mind in a way which I was not able to hold it, at all, previously. And in the creation of it, I’ve made it with a consciousness I didn’t have before; that I am one of many – very many – and that the dissociation, the fragmentation of identity, and felt isolation it generated, are a shared experience.
There are many forms of violence. My short film references just one, based on a personal remembrance. But there are thousands and thousands of personal stories, and many voices silenced across the years.
So I hope that the watching of this video is indeed a period of devotional watching for others, not only myself. It’s my way of participating in a wave of awareness and watchfulness which I hope will contribute in some respects to help effect positive change in our societies and communities worldwide.
https://jennymeehan.wordpress.com/
Original Poem the video is based on:
Violence
is the blinding light which brings
darkness
wipes the words from my lips
removes all trace
of speech
yet tells me to be quiet, and so keeps me from
recalling
the sound of myself.
Violence
Is the blinding light which brings
Complete darkness
Takes the words from my
Open lips
Removes all trace
Of speech
Yet tells me to be quiet,
But I am recalling the sound of myself, that you may see.
Jenny Meehan 2013
And here below is the text submitted for the six still images I selected to be shown as part of the DIMH 2021 Online Conference.
“Jenny Meehan is a British Contemporary Artist based in Surrey/South West London.
“With a process-led approach, I act in response to the materials I work with. It is a spirit and emotion led practice; an articulation of fragmentary experience. All I create is autobiographically rooted and expressionistic. My art working acts as a kind of “re-membering”; a way of bringing things together.
My interest in a contemplative way of life means that I view my art work as a tool which enables the viewer to connect with their own emotions, giving space in a busy world for imagination and connection. Working with abstraction provides an opportunity for openness, allowing the viewer to determine their own path into my work, and this is coloured by their own experience and memory, unique to them.”
While my romantic, lyrical, expressionistic, abstract paintings offer a contemplative space free from cares and concerns, other strands of my practice engage with subjects ranging from violence, trauma recovery, and themes arising from my own experience of psychoanalysis/psychotherapy
My vision for my work centres around the constant need and desire to push creative boundaries and to experiment with and explore the media available to me.”
Artworks
1. “Pen and Ink on a Torn Strip” Jenny Meehan ©Jenny Meehan
Unique Torn Digital Print on Paper.
2. Digital Print of my motif; “Yellow Character/Flight” ©Jenny Meehan
This expresses the “flight” in the “fight-or-flight response” in PTSD. This is available printed on many substrates as wall art and stationery via the print on demand marketplace redbubble:
Jenny Meehan’s Artist Profile:
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams
3. “Dark Night: The dark, too, blooms and sings” Original painting acrylic/mixed media on board ©Jenny Meehan
4. “Sorrow” Paint on paper ©Jenny Meehan
5. “Fugue” Paint on stretched linen.©Jenny Meehan
6. “Figure on Uncertain Ground” Digital Print on Paper ©Jenny Meehan
Luke Hannam
Quote from:
https://www.thelondonlist.com/people/luke-hannamhttps://www.thelondonlist.com/people/luke-hannam
“A great deal of your work is figurative; why is that, and what is it about a person’s character that interests you?
Drawing figures or rather drawing people, which is what you are actually doing, is, I believe, the most direct way of dealing with the complexities of being alive. Human beings are never answers they are always questions and it’s this is quality that I like. For me, pictures or paintings are not political things, they are not trying tell us something specific or change our mind but rather to lead us into unknowable places and allow us to feel rather than to find comfort in knowledge. The human element represents this for me. It’s ultimately about vulnerability and the confidence to tell the truth about your desires and pleasures rather than construct personas that pretend to be wise or worse civilized. “
I’m chewing this over… As I ask myself about my work. Particularly in the light of my recent video poem
An Online Vigil; “Watch and Pray”
There’s a tremendous video here on Luke Hannam… Very thought provoking. So thought provoking I can only watch it in little segments, to then reflect on!
https://www.animamundigallery.com/exhibition-luke-hannam-the-compass-and-the-rosaryhttps://www.animamundigallery.com/exhibition-luke-hannam-the-compass-and-the-rosary
Affordable Art Shop Online; Home Office, Workplaces, Offices, and All Interior Spaces
There are many types of fixed and free standing sneeze guards for use as office dividers, canteen dividers and cafe screens. I suspect these will stay with us, even as the situation with Coronavirus changes. It got me thinking…
Hygiene partitions are usually made plastic or similar substrates. At home or in workplaces there is often the need to have different functions within the same room: with a room divider we can easily obtain separate areas that can guarantee privacy and good soundproofing, without necessarily making masonry work. In working environments, especially open spaces, there’s a big use of “office booths”, flexible modular structures that create isolated spaces perfect for workstations or small meetings and workshops.
All of this in effect means more wall space, which is great for art! So take a look at my abstract artwork on the print-on-demand site redbubble! Make your work environment beautiful!
You don’t need to pay around £25 pounds per month to rent art for your workspace. Because you can purchase it, and keep it to long term. Redbubble print independent artists art and designs on many different substrates and different formats. You can buy a selection of my artwork there! It’s open edition and unsigned, but I buy from them myself and I’ve always been delighted with the quality. (If you are not, they have excellent customer service.)
Look at my artists profile, the main one being https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/shop
Take a look! I imagined that there will be many more screens and workspace dividers, appearing in our office space is because of the Coronavirus pandemic. And just think how great it would be to use that, in effect, extra wall space to help increase your employees and your staff’s, well being.
Screens are often relatively lightweight, but you don’t need heavy artworks to put on screens. On redbubble there are lightweight, posters, and art work printed on card, and other thin substrates, which are easy to apply to a smooth surface screen by means of hook and loop tape, (also known as velcro or similar brand) Hook and loop tape can be purchased to hold many different loads and is heavy duty. It’s possible to mount art work on two screens and room dividers very easily using it. It’s something you can do yourself. It also means it’s easy to remove the artwork and change it around.
With the covid_19 pandemic we are all thinking about hygiene, of course. Artwork can be easily removed and art on smooth laminated surfaces can be wiped down with a mild detergent. You could consider buying artwork printed on fabric too, which can be washed! Redbubble print on wall hangings, headscarves (which make lovely square wall hangings too!) So think about it.
Think about how you could enhance your workspace, be it at home or elsewhere with attractive, affordable, easy to buy prints!
Most of my artwork on redbubble is in a geometric abstract style. I favour using softened diffused edges combined with flat colour areas, drawing on colour and pattern to convey a sense of classical harmony. The romantic, emotional, impact of colour on our sense of well-being is a vital ingredient in our lives and its a delight to make my art and design so accessible to all.
I have a lot of patterned and tiled art and design, as well as art images which act a a centrepiece or which stands with slightly more independence. Patterns are very relaxing to look at and communicate to people a sense of balance and order. I’ve used them myself, rather a lot during the coronavirus pandemic to help calm my mind. And this could be a great asset to you, your company, and staff as well.
To enjoy the rhythmic beauty of pattern in your work environment through motivating and inspiring art helps productivity and happiness in all kinds of workspaces, including home offices. Buying my art from Redbubble is affordable for all, as companies of any size, and any budget can benefit from my art in the work environment. As we also increasingly working from home, why not make your work space and office space, a place of inspiration? Make your work space a place of inspiration and contemplation!
Some Examples of Redbubble Products Suitable for Home and Office Workspaces. Screens and Panels
Art Board Prints
Printed on firm, textured mat boards.
From Redbubble website:
“What is an Art Board Print?
Art Boards are professionally printed on watercolor textured 4-ply boards, and they are perfect for series/collection presentations. They come with 3mm velcro dots (4 per Art Board) so you can hang them on walls, doors, your fridge, your best friend… We don’t judge! They are also individually wrapped in cellophane sleeves so they can get to you safely.”
Redbubble Canvas Mounted Prints
Description from the Redbubble website;
” Product information
Easy-to-hang canvas print with that airy “floating off the wall” look
Canvas is 15/64 inch (4mm) thick with clean folded edges
With wooden rear spacer, print stands 3/4 inch (2cm) away from the wall
Mount directly to the wall using included 3M tabs
No nails, screws, or holes in the wall required”
Redbubble Art Prints
Description from the Redbubble website;
“Gallery-grade prints on high-quality paper, this is the real deal
Lightly textured 100% cotton paper
Custom sizes, based on artwork dimensions. Check size chart if self-framing
Dimensions include a 1 – 2 inch (2.5 – 5.0cm) white border to assist in framing
Large prints shipped in tubes, small & medium prints in protective flat mailers”
Redbubble Posters
Description from the Redbubble website:
“Blank walls suck, so bring some life to your dorm, bedroom, office, studio, wherever
Printed on 185gsm semi gloss poster paper
Custom cut – refer to size chart for finished measurements
Includes a 3/16 inch (5mm) white border to assist in framing”
Redbubble Metal Prints
Description from the Redbubble website;
“Immortalize your favorite art on durable lightweight aluminum that will outlive us all
Choose your finish: Gloss, for brilliant colors and detail, or Matte, for a soft, even look with minimal glare
Gently rounded corners
Easily wipe clean with a soft cloth
Ready to hang, with a back mount fixture so the art seems to float in front of the wall”
Redbubble Photographic Prints
Description from the Redbubble website;
“Absolutely stunning photo reproductions, but don’t take our word for it, check the reviews
Superior quality silver halide prints
Archival quality paper
Choose your finish: luster for a fine grain pebble texture, or metallic for a glossy finish and exceptional visual interest and depth”
Redbubble Headscarves
These are one of my favourite types of print. I have them in my own home as they are lightweight, large, and easy to gently hand wash. They come in a square format which I love.
The colours of any fabric printed by the dye sublimation process tend to veer on the bright side, so while I haven’t noticed any fading due to washing I would be fine if there was a bit of fade as I prefer slightly muted colours. However I’ve hand washed mine several times and they look as bright as ever! I have included them in my suggestions for wall art because they look great hanging against a plain white wall. They are slightly transparent, so not good against anything but plain white. They do offer an interesting option for wall art though, and can be easily attached to the wall with hook and loop tape (velcro) or even those very lightweight self adhesive tabs you can get for wall art now. If you used the self adhesive tabs which include a small metal hook, you could make a small cotton loop on the corners of the headscarf and just hook those over.
Description from the Redbubble website;
“Full print is visible on the front and reverse
Microfiber polyester with a slightly transparent effect
Hand wash only. Do not dry clean or tumble dry.”
They are quite see-through, but look great against a plain white wall or room divider, office partition, or office partition.
Redbubble Tapestries
Mm, not quite sure why they call them tapestries, I guess because they are fabric and hang on the wall, but the word tapestry for mean means sewn and embroidered… Quite different.
However, this is actually my favourite type of wall art from Redbubble mostly because it is large scale wall art, easy to store and wash, rich in colour and I feel compliments my flat colour geometric abstract design style particularly well. I have several. As with the scarves, the colours of any fabric printed by the dye sublimation process tend to vere on the bright side. The surface is lovely and has a soft and slightly silky feel which is very good indeed.
Wall Tapestry description from Redbubble website;
“Call it a wall tapestry, call it a wall hanging, call it the new centerpiece of your decor
Intense, vivid colors and fine line detail, printed for you when you order
100% lightweight polyester with finished edge
Cold gentle machine wash, line dry or tumble dry low, do not iron or bleach
Note: There is a 1 – 2 inch (2.5 – 5.0cm) tolerance on all printed textile products.”
PS… I have washed mine by hand with slightly warm water several times and it’s still looking great! These could also be attached to your walls with methods like those I suggested in the headscarves section, though due to the larger size using a pole, or making a small hem and threading cord through the top of the wall hanging, would probably be worth considering too.
When you buy my range of selected art and design via Redbubble, you help sustain my artworking in a way I really appreciate. I get an artists margin each time you buy my work printed on products and you get a good shopping experience via Redbubble. So I can focus on creating and you can access my art easily in an accessible form.
If you do prefer original paintings, I’m producing at least 20 original paintings each year on average, so do contact me directly via the contact form on this blog to let me know what type of abstract/semi abstract painting you are looking for. I don’t post all my original paintings online, and I am happy to carry out a limited amount of commissioned work each year.
I no longer keep a website for the time being at least so please use the contact form here or my other social media if need be.
The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
The only time I entered a piece of work in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, I did so realising that it would probably get rejected, as the odds of it getting selected were so small. However, I wanted to submit an artwork at least once, and I had a better reason to that year because I have already decided that I wanted my painting to be displayed in a Gallery at Waterloo (sadly no longer) which held a yearly “Not the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition”
Here’s some information on my painting “The Upper Room” (image below) which was selected for the “Not the Royal Academy” exhibition at Llewellyn Alexander (Fine Paintings) LTD in 2013. It is a shame the gallery no longer exists. It was a gallery I often used to visit when in the area, and, as I mentioned, I decided to enter the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition that year specifically in order that I might submit my rejected work into the “Not the Royal Academy” show. I was thankfully successful, and very flattered too, because my – very abstract – painting was not usually the type of painting they usually favoured in that particular gallery, which lent towards the representational paintings. When I used to visit, often on my therapy days when I was on my way to Nelson Square, I used to particularly enjoy looking at the miniatures. They were always very friendly and pleasant in there.
So here is my blurb on the Upper Room:
“The Upper Room” is a painting in which I started with no idea of the direction it might take me in, instead responding to each mark and colour as the painting progressed in a process based approach. Using both my instincts and formal considerations, I ended up with this. Its still one I am keen on.
Emotionally, it made me think of the New Testament account of Jesus taking the Last Supper with his disciples, I think because of the sense of presence and warmth it communicated to me emotionally, (The Holy Spirit, the comforter, “I will be with you”) even though it contains a large area of black. Also, because of the way it is held together with a building type structure; upper and a lower areas, and suggestions of both entrance and exit. Pentecost also happened in an “Upper Room” though not the same one, I don’t think.
Here’s more background regarding the “Not the Royal Academy” Exhibition at Llewellyn Alexander…I have copied and pasted it from a past post. It was text used by the gallery to promote their show.
“What happens to the pictures rejected by the Royal Academy?
Every year over eight thousand paintings are submitted to the Summer Exhibition (update… Now the submission limit is set at 16,500 and its always filled up quickly) at the Royal Academy – the largest open art exhibition in the world.
Only around 800 actually make it on to the walls.
So what happens to all the artists that have been rejected?
As soon as the artists get their rejection slips from the Royal Academy many of them collect their pictures and set off across the river to the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery (opposite the Old Vic Theatre) at Waterloo. Artists are told immediately whether their painting has been accepted by the Gallery. Oils, watercolours, mixed media, pastels and drawings of all shapes and sizes pass through the doors of this lively Gallery on the South Bank. Every picture is for sale and the gallery is re-hung with new work at three-weekly intervals throughout the summer, making it a constantly changing show.
NOT THE ROYAL ACADEMY
Inspired by the original “Salon Des Refusés” held in Paris in the 19th Century when artists such as Manet exhibited his rejected and infamous “Dejeuner Sur L’Herbe” and Whistler his rejected “Symphony in White – the White Girl”.
That year the exhibition ran FROM 10 JUNE TO 17 AUGUST 2013
This was the only year I entered the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and probably will remain so as I have a very limited budget for Open Exhibition Entries. Basically these kind of Open Submission Art Exhibitions are used as fund raisers by many organisations, though thankfully not all.
I’ve nothing against making donations.. I sometimes do, and it’s often appropriate. However my thoughts on the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition are that it’s a fun, fundraising affair which many enjoy. It is not, however, a means to provide a worthy estimation on an artists work for an art collector or art lover.
So enjoy, submit, if you are able, and visit if you wish. All good.
Don’t, however pretend to yourself that the art submitted is “critiqued” and somehow what gets through, (I refer to the roughly 700 general public members whose work does get through) is anything more than a stroke of luck. It’s a big thrill, and I don’t want to dim the light of that, mostly because it still seems to add status and value to a work if its selected, and that’s very good for an artist. I am always pleased for artists I know when they strike lucky. But let’s be sensible.
How long is spent on looking at the art submitted in the first stage of the process with 16,500 entries? And then the second?
Then your chances are chopped down once more, as when it comes to wall hanging, it’s really just got to be about how it fits in with the decoration/aesthetics of the hang.
So celebrate if you are lucky, as you would with the lottery and any other fortunate event. But if you want your work to be exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, know you may well need to invest a few hundred pounds over the years to make numerous submissions and you may be better off choosing an Open Submission Art Exhibition which you have more chance of getting your work selected in.
I feel it would have been appropriate to lower the artist submission fee of £35 this year, as a material expression of the theme, in which the concept of inclusivity and inclusion appears to feature. Even an artist submission fee of £15, with maybe an additional fee if through to the next round of judging, or a voluntary donation, would still generate a massive amount of money with the 16,500 entries accepted. But it sadly will not be reduced, I predict, because it doesn’t need to be reduced; the demand for artists to enter their work in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition is huge and they will use that to increase the money they generate from it. It is a charitable organisation. However, I wonder if the submitting artists may also appreciate some of the charitable principles at work in the process of making art submissions to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition too?
If you would like to donate to the Royal Academy in this way, that’s super. No need to take the shine off your kind donation. Bear in mind that this type of event is not inclusive in a true, material, sense, though, and that the artists need to arrange their sales, will pay commission for work sold, (30% I think) pay £35 per work to submit, and incur all costs in providing the art work.
A side thought… How odd it is that when the BBC make programmes on the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition – I mean that one where they show some artist’s applying – One, at least, always gets in! What are the odds of them making the programme and not one of their featured artists getting in? It must be that they know beforehand that at least one will definitely get in, or the programme would not work very well at all. Or maybe the do filming of a larger number and then cut down their selection… However, they must somehow know that at least one artist will make it through, or it would be a very large investment of potentially wasted time! I dislike that; it gives a rather false impression of an artist’s chances of getting selected, surely?
Oh well. It’s obviously not such an “Open” Exhibition. With only around 700/800 general public artworks getting in, and submissions not being anonymous, we realise that the process of selection is certainly a fairly predetermined pathway, in the main, even if not entirely.
Bit of Royal Academy Summer Exhibition History, just a snippet;
“The number of pictures increased each year from 547 in 1781 to 1,165 in 1821 so
they had to be hung frame to frame. The position was determined by the Hanging
Committee and the position of a painting was critical to it being seen.”
If you are an art buyer and really want to support an artist, contact them directly and buy their work from them, direct. Many artists take part in Open Studios events, and are also normally very happy to meet you in order for you to view their artwork by appointment.
room jenny meehan abstract
Digital Art Image Licensing Information for digital images by Jenny Meehan AKA jennyjimjams.
All images are ©Jenny Meehan. The licensing of my digital images is one of my most important income streams – An income which sustains my creative work. Permission for use is essential.
Most of my image licensing is managed via DACS (a copyright management/collecting society) with some smaller projects/requests managed directly by me. This depends on the project and context.
My image licensing fees are broadly in line with the industry standard, with significant reductions for charities and or smaller projects of special interest to me.
More information on the process of obtaining a licence to use a digital image of my work can be found at the top of the “Quick Stop Art Gallery” online art gallery page.
Here is a link to my online art image gallery:
In case you are not aware, you need to request permission and pay a licence fee if you want to use an artist’s work in anything from merchandise or an advert, to a book, film or website. If an artist’s work is published in any form, permission is needed.
If you require copyright free images, then you will need to source them from a different website, for example a stock photography website or a copyright/royalty free image website.
I trust this is helpful.
March 2021 Still Lockdown but Spring will Come!
March 10, 2021
Lockdown Contemplations.
It’s different. I like time on my own and I am finding the situation with less distractions and dates in the diary very good for art working. I was struck by the words of Chris Chapman, a wise man who was my spiritual director a few years back, as he introduces a retreat series at St Augustine’s College of Theology:
“And yet the experience of lockdown does hold surprising echoes of a retreat. Our well-worn routines have been left behind. We have ventured – or been pushed – into unknown territory. Our customary diversions no longer apply. As with a retreat we have moved into a place where we are more open to meet who we are and what we fear and what we long for. We are more vulnerable and, with this perhaps, more consciously alive. Among those fundamental questions many of us are facing are ones of identity: ‘Who are you, God, and who am I? Where are you God amidst the changes I am experiencing? What are you inviting me to be or do? Where have we gone wrong in the past? How will we live in the future? We are also – I believe – aware of the need of deeper rooting in God to help us survive – even grow through – this long, long season of uncertainty.”
Yes; Resonating in particular: “we are more open to meet who we are and what we fear and what we long for.”
Direction wise this is very good, and I am finding it bringing more clarity for me with regard to focus, which is very good for me, as I tend to have somewhat of an exploding brain kind of mind I think. Great for ideas, and great as an artist, but not so great for focus. He continues:
“A retreat at home is different. We do not leave behind work, family and four familiar walls. In one sense the experience is less intense and focused: there are more calls on our time than listening to God. And yet, a retreat at home is where we are: it reflects our reality. It also helps us welcome God into all the corners of our everyday existence. Here too is holy ground, if only our eyes are open to recognise this.”
This is so true… And I still have my Christmas banner hanging up! I have decided to keep it there all year. The area around it seems to have transformed itself into a focus for prayer, with lights and candles. It’s a bit altar like. Both myself and my husband haven’t been inside a church building for ages. Having our home altar is very conducive to prayer. I think I have been in prayer more than I did when we didn’t have the banner there.
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennymeehan
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams
Jenny Meehan/jennyjimjams are both Redbubble artist portfolios of British contemporary Artist Designer Jenny Meehan.
Discover Jenny Meehan via my Art Journal Blog https://jennymeehan.wordpress.com/
©Jenny Meehan
Lockdown Restrictions
On the less so lovely side, the restrictions are a pain. Just not used to having my freedoms curtailed I guess.
Yeah, so the next image on show is a padlock. I am feeling a bit restricted here in the UK Coronavirus Lockdown. Restrictions. They are felt. But needs must.
photographic image of rusted padlock by artist designer jenny meehan ©Jenny Meehan
The activity I am missing most of all is swimming. I swim at least twice a week normally, and now I have to wait until mid April! This is the hardest thing for me, and though I enjoy walking and yoga, and exercise generally, there is nothing quite like swimming and being in the water! I am also feeling a bit restricted space wise, as I cannot work in the garden with anything but gardening right now. I’ve done a bit of painting, of course, but have been focusing on my poetry a fair bit. Plus reviewing work in progress. This is time well spent. I have my coronavirus vaccine booked in for the end of March, so that’s a date for the diary! There are not that many dates for the diary, so when something does come up it’s always an event!
Black and White
This time of year always brings me to a place creatively where I consider light and darkness, black and white, tones and mark making rather than colour.
What I focus on creatively is very much dictated by the seasons and what’s happening in nature around me I’ve come to realise.
The low light and bare branches of trees… It may be their strong influence. I also always go and see the society of wood engravers exhibition at the bankside for my yearly dose of black and white wood cutting/printing. Just online this time around. Not quite as enjoyable, but I still get to see the wonderful work on instagram which is something at least.
Vision photo art image by artist designer jenny meehan ©Jenny Meehan
©Jenny Meehan
This is a section of one of my #photographic studies titled “vision”. Its one of many images exploring light on surfaces, in this case a copper sculpture I made at West Dean College. (It’s a section, and a low resolution image only.) I spend quite a lot of time with photography, which I use as a looking, thinking and remembering tool. It’s very good for studying light and shadow. Over the years I have taken many images, often of my own sculptures or objects of interest, and mostly with the objective of simply exploring light on their different surfaces.
Art Prints to Buy from Redbubble
If you want to buy a print of anything you see here, please contact me via the contact page on my art journal and I can make it available to you via redbubble.
I don’t put all my work up there routinely, but if I get specific requests I can arrange to upload to the site so you can buy it as an unsigned print.
I may also have a very limited number of signed prints myself, (or be able to arrange to print one and sign it personally for you) if you want a custom made and signed by the artist art print. This is a more expensive
option.
I like Redbubble!
Redbubble is an online print on demand marketplace, making excellent quality products of many kinds, including masks, and wall decor. They are a business entity themselves. Redbubble is what is called a “print on demand site”. This means Redbubble take the largest proportion of any sales made on there, because its Redbubble who fulfil the order. Redbubble sort out the manufacture, packaging, payment, customer service etc. The buyer buys the product from Redbubble. However, for an artist like myself who doesn’t want to spend ages producing products and prints, but likes to focus on creating, it’s a really great way of enabling people to access my art in a safe, affordable, and customer friendly way.
I know from conversations I have had with art collectors and art lovers that buying work directly from artists can be a bit of a step of faith. They often have many things which they feel unsure about. For example, if it’s Okay to ask for a price reduction for a piece of artwork, or how they should go about approaching an artist or making a Studio visit to view an artwork. It’s very easy to take the process for granted and not realise that it may be intimidating at worst, or just uncomfortable, for many art lovers and collectors.
It’s also very true, I know this myself, that not everyone is bothered about exclusivity. It is very true that the world is full of amazing, collectable artworks from brilliant artists, of very many kinds, who are immensely productive and produce very collectable artworks. (PS “collectable artworks” are those which RESONATE WITH YOU and add to your LIFE STORY and interests in an EDIFYING way.) For those who want to collect original art…paintings, drawings, sculptures etc…I have plenty of original artwork to collect. Just contact me via the contact form, make a studio visit, or visit me at Kingston Artists’ Open Studios (when that resumes!)
I also have “unique prints”. Let me clarify. These are often monotypes, or similar kinds of prints which are original in themselves in that I don’t try and create editions with them, in the traditional sense of the word, but instead I treat them as an original artwork in themselves, which would include variations and additions of many kinds. I like that. It’s more interesting!
I also produce, though not in any great number (indeed, up to now about 5 has been the maximum) signed and numbered photographs. These, again, are not editions, but rather digital artworks and/or photographic prints which sometimes people commission or at other times I am just making for an exhibition, creative experiment, or myself. These “numbered and signed” prints are few and far between, and so if you are an art lover or collector who wants more than the open edition unsigned art prints available to buy via Redbubble, then this is possibly an avenue to go down.
It is the case that the so called “Art World” is very, very small in the universe of art. I am glad about this and glad for avenues such as redbubble, which mean that the doors to accessing my work are much bigger, wider, and open, than me keeping a narrow view and artificially restricting my artworks to only those art lovers and art collectors who have the financial means to pay more for their visual art. Why exclude? When the possible audience to receive your artwork is so wide, and vast? Why assume that money equals value? This is an outdated and unpleasant way to see the world. It’s too restrictive. It’s mean. Money is important and Value is important too. We need them. Money can express value. But when it comes to art… Maybe art is freer than this? Maybe the so called “Art World” can be it’s own worse enemy if it becomes more about opinions regarding art based on desirability? A desirability which is not centred in the individual, themselves and their life…what may help them have a greater richness and depth in their life… but on some kind of investment purpose? We must invest in OURSELVES with art. There must be love, over other considerations like how much the object cost. Meander over.
Back to Redbubble!
Most of the artwork I have selected to put up on my redbubble artists profiles( I have two, jennyjimjams and JennyMeehan) belongs to the strand of my creative practice concerned with geometric abstraction, and in this area of my art working I am interested in flat colour abstract images, often with diffused edges, plus a few other series, for example my “Keim Galaxies” and some collections with a modernist Art Deco vibe. It helps to keep the selection of artwork on such sites fairly uniform… it just looks tidier, but as said, if you see anything else on here which you like just let me know and I can put it on the site for a short time so you are able to order it.
Jenny Meehan: How to buy my art prints online safely, easily, and affordably.
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams
This is my main Artist’s page on the print-on-demand site redbubble.
While primarily a fine artist, a big part of my creative ethos is that my work is as inclusive and accessible as possible, hence using a print-on-demand site to share the love !
Social Media
With the Coronavirus Pandemic there have been benefits to me as an artist, even though its sad not to have any actual physical art exhibitions. It’s made me think more about using social media, and I am now using that far more. It is wonderful to see other peoples artworks and photographs too. I have found with judicious use it is a good thing. It is very tempting to spend more time on twitter, instagram, etc than initially intended though! Here’s a couple of screen shots from my instagram account.
I have two instagram accounts; jennymeehan_jennymeehan is the one which I tend to prioritize sharing a bit more of a “fine art” strand. (Not that I embrace the artificial distinction between fine and applied art, mind you! To my thinking, the imagination is just as useful as a cup!)
Tidal flow flat colour soft edged abstract Artwork ©artist jenny meehan shop at jennyjimjams.redbubble.com
abstract flat colour art image title jump start by artist designer jenny meehan ©Jenny Meehan
My Favourite Selfie from Last Year
As I am missing my studio tent… For it is far too cold, still, to work in a tent in the UK for any length of time at least… I have fondly reminisced on last year in the studio tent. I worked really hard to make it as warm as possible. To achieve this I used horticultural fleece which is a lovely material and worked very well. You can see it in the background of this image.
Jenny Meehan Artist Designer selfie in studio tent/necessity is the mother of invention ©Jenny Meehan jennymeehan jennyjimjams in jennymeehan.wordpress.com
I quite like giving my selfies a title, and “Necessity is Mother of Invention” is just right for this. For lack of indoor space, and need of an art studio, was certainly necessity, and the mother of my studio tent. I work in my studio tent when the weather permits. The sound of birds, and the sight of snails is very helpful to me! At other times I work in different rooms in the house, on floors, beds, tables, and in the garden.
Its a strange experience seeing more people working from home now. I’ve not been able to fund a studio space for more than a month, but I’m not unhappy about this, though its sometimes inconvenient not to have more room. I’m a great believer in “necessity is the mother of invention” and my work patterns and focus vary as the months of the year go by, due to the restrictions, which has served me well. At this time we need to adapt to the restrictions, believing that good can come out of them. Sometimes the best things come unexpected out of circumstances we wouldn’t expect.
Reusable Masks for Deaf, deaf, and Hard of Hearing People to buy online via Redbubble
Masks for deaf people in Coronavirus Pandemic Reusable facemasks Redbubble shop designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams
I continue to add the occasional new design to my rather extensive collection of face masks on redbubble. There are now well over 200 options for people who are deaf, Deaf, Hard of Hearing or anyone else who relies on lipreading or needing to see someone’s face for communication needs. I am surprised how much I have got into these designs!
Masks for deaf people in Coronavirus Pandemic Reusable facemasks Redbubble shop designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams
I started creating designs for the reusable face masks sold by redbubble (a print on demand website) way back last year, and found my interest just grew and grew. It is interesting to think about the flat design and how it can change when translated into a product. I really enjoy the process. I like sculpture very much indeed, so maybe its the novelty of not just working two dimensionally I enjoy?
Masks for deaf people in Coronavirus Pandemic Reusable facemasks Redbubble shop designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams
I have had some good and very helpful feedback. It makes me very happy to know I can put my art and design into action in such a positive way. I will always be a painter first and foremost. Yet I think it is very important for any artist to think “out the box” as much as possible, and if that thinking can help another human being at a difficult time then it’s worth “pushing the boat out” to put it into action. (oooooh, I do love an idiom!)
Masks for deaf people in Coronavirus Pandemic Reusable facemasks Redbubble shop designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams
Because this art journal is such a meandering discourse, I have now created a page with more information and focus on my communication prompt masks, stickers, and badges, etc with a bit more about this Coronavirus Pandemic deaf awareness project. I really need to sort out my “Very Patient Knee Replacement Story” too, I feel. Just not enough time in the days I find! (Deaf/deaf HardofHearing page coming soon… In progress!)
Masks for deaf people in Coronavirus Pandemic Reusable facemasks Redbubble shop designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams
I’ve designed 200 + options #deaf #Deaf #lipreading #lipreaders #hardofhearing #hearingloss etc facemasks! Can’t quite believe it! But with digital technology it’s quite straightforward, and I do feel passionately about it.
It’s my coronavirus pandemic creative art project. I needed to have one. And I wanted it to be useful to other people.
Masks for deaf people in Coronavirus Pandemic Reusable facemasks Redbubble shop designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams
Redbubble manufacture and fulfil the orders, and offer worldwide delivery and excellent quality and service. I buy things from them myself, and I have always been very pleased with the products and service.
Masks for deaf people in Coronavirus Pandemic Reusable facemasks Redbubble shop designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams
As well as my deaf awareness range, printed on masks, badges, stickers and more, and consisting of over 200 different designs, I have many other fashionable and decorative, face covers here on my artist profile at Redbubble, plus beautiful interior decoration designs for home and office.
Deaf Awareness lipreading masks; Coronavirus Pandemic Mass Masking; s Reusable masks and Accessories for deaf people deaf awareness shop at Redbubble designed by Jenny Meehan jennyjimjams.redbubble.com
If you like to double up your facemask the unfitted Redbubble masks, as show above, work really well over a disposable mask if you only want the deaf awareness communication prompt for specific situations. I’ve stuck to showing the unfitted reusable facecoverings available to buy online at Redbubble, but they do also have a range of fitted masks though they are rather more expensive.
Masks for deaf people in Coronavirus Pandemic Reusable facemasks Redbubble shop designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams
I hope they are helpful and do please give your feedback for this coronavirus pandemic creative project as I’ve been working hard and feel passionate about it being a useful resource.
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennymeehan
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams
Jenny Meehan/jennyjimjams are both Redbubble artist portfolios belonging to me.
February Abstract Painting
Well, in another push towards order, I have decided to ensure I complete one painting each month. The way I work means that I have loads of paintings “in progress” which I leave, return to, and contemplate on for some considerable time usually. Though I am going through the months with these paintings, I am not trying to make them have particular resonance with the changing seasons, though I am sure some elements may seep in. My painting is very emotion and instinct led, and I like to work freely, unless I am producing something in response to a particular brief or project specification.
British painting Lyrical Abstraction style by artist designer jenny meehan jennyjimjams colour blue white grey original abstract artwork to buy and image licensing ©Jenny Meehan
Well, that’s it for now. Not very long and meandering this time. Roll on more of Spring, and the end of Lockdown I hope.
November/December Art Journal Post in Coronavirus Time Jenny Meehan Fine and Applied Artist
November 26, 2020
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennymeehan
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams
Jenny Meehan/jennyjimjams are both Redbubble artist portfolios of British contemporary Artist Designer Jenny Meehan.
Discover Jenny Meehan via my Art Journal Blog https://jennymeehan.wordpress.com/
” Holy Holy Holy” ©Jenny Meehan All rights reserved.
Coronavirus Time
I have titled this December blog entry in “Coronavirus Time” because it seems to me that time is very different at the moment. There is so much about this place we are in, not just nationally but globally, which is very difficult and challenges come thick and fast from all directions. Everyone’s experience is different; for some not so different, for others very radically different, and circumstances and situations vary immensely, affecting the degree of trauma and stress experienced. In a broad and distanced sense, It feels like a great big carpet of consumerism and a production orientated society has been tugged very hard, and this causes many to begin to rethink and maybe even alter values and priorities. Yet close up to people, the levels of insecurity and uncertainty vary, as do the emotions involved, and the losses too, of many kinds.
My words feel like a blanket over realities, for how can any words really be sufficient to capture the situation? It’s not possible, and I delayed my Jenny Meehan Artist’s Journal post to highlight my recent Coronavirus Pandemic Project of Communication Prompt Facemasks. It has been helpful to have such a project…rather different to my usual art working, but I wanted to engage with the experience of being an artist and designer in a global health crisis in a relevant way. There are many coronavirus Covid-19 artist call outs and online opportunities, and have been right from the outset, but I found myself not interested in entering anything, and rather sought in my own fine art practice to focus on activities which were not directly related to the coronavirus pandemic. Indeed, a large strand of my creative practice has always be a kind of refuge and retreat from the impact of daily life. Well, certainly my painting practice, which is blissfully abstract doesn’t have any pull towards being anything “relevant”. It simply is a place, maybe a kind of garden area, which I can dwell in peacefully, be in and explore in.
I think a place of retreat and refuge is particularly important in this Coronavirus Time. Lockdowns have the effect of forcing people into a retreat situation which for some is enjoyable and positive, even with the challenges and difficulties, inconveniences and physical distance which feature in a Lockdown. And there are the difficult and painful aspects. However, I’m not using this Journal space to go there right now. Personally, myself and my husband felt unexpectedly blessed by starting a routine of daily walks, and we are fortunate to live in Surrey which has many good places to walk. As my friend said recently “The pandemic has been kind to us”. It was a good way of saying things were OK, while acknowledging that that was not and is not the situation for many other people. I guess it’s a bit related to that phrase “The weather has been kind to us”? There are circumstances which we cannot do anything about.
For my Coronavirus Pandemic Communication Mask project, I wanted to invest my time in something which could be useful to some people, as well as being a creative process with direct relevance to this current Coronavirus Time. The theme of communications, and how these are affected and altered grabbed my attention. The topic of interpersonal communication, and how this is impacted struck a chord for me. My husband who was experiencing some temporary hearing loss, and the personal stories of several deaf/Deaf people, were part of the inspiration to hone in in the area of Deaf/deaf, Hard of Hearing experiences of mass masking in the UK.
While I have always been very much for the measure of using face coverings as well as social distancing in order to mitigate the spread of Covid-19, I felt, and feel, concerned for the increased anxiety and isolation which is a result for many people as a result of mass masking. While I am not Deaf/deaf of Hard of Hearing myself, I can relate to the broad experience and distress of anxiety and increased isolation. My anxiety and isolation experiences have not been rooted in an experience of being a Deaf/deaf or Hard of Hearing person in a time of mass masking for I can hear fully. I will never be able to exactly understand or appreciate the experiences of many people with this particular disability (in a social model of disability sense) However, I have done my best to use research and empathetic understanding, plus an experience with some overlapping areas. For it is the case that my own trauma recovery journey, which has included intense depression and crippling anxiety (and still includes the anxiety to some extent!) has certainly given me an appreciation of feeling intense isolation and experiencing anxiety because of my needs not being accommodated with understanding.
Many people have purchased items from my collection of Deaf, deaf, Hard of Hearing Face masks. I tried my very best to include a huge range of options, to maximise choice. I feel strongly that if wearing such face masks serves the purpose of also educating people and increasing deaf awareness, and highlights the need of many to see peoples lips for lipreading purposes (and/or face, for many other reasons) …and if wearing a mask with a slogan on helps in some small way, then it’s a positive for all concerned. It would be nice to live in a world where people don’t need such obvious prompts to help facilitate respectful treatment and encourage accommodation of someone’s particular needs, but we do not live in such a world. Sometimes it literally needs to be spelt out… or written out. Big, obvious signs which are not subtle. Because in the rush, ignorance and lack of other-awareness… Something we are all guilty of from time to time… It’s easy to NOT to make the appropriate amount of effort to aid good communication. It is true, sadly, that some people are downright rude and even aggressive too. I have experienced that myself when I was physically disabled prior to my knee replacement. In this Coronavirus time where many people are extra sensitive and maybe more volatile emotionally than usual, it’s tempting for people to vent their emotions on others in very unpleasant ways.
I am planning to use some of the images of my Deaf/deaf/Lipreading/DisabilityVisibility Face Masks for the creation of a series of digital collages. This will be my main Covid-19 Coronavirus Art Project. I do also have a series of videos on You Tube which I created when I was ill for two weeks at the end of March 2020 and beginning of April, with – I am pretty sure – Covid-19. Certainly never had that kind of illness before. It was very peculiar and distinct in it’s phases. This was the time pre-testing, so I won’t be able to claim I had it 100 percent I suppose, but I myself am 95 percent certain, based on symptoms. I am glad I couldn’t get a test at that time actually, because having an element of unknowing was helpful psychologically…NOT KNOWING is a blessing at times. I may well have felt more fearful than I was if I had my suspicions confirmed. I did all the things I was meant to do with respect to isolating and hygiene measures. Mine was mild to moderate I think, but pretty akin to the first week after a knee replacement, (which is a major surgery), in impact. So pretty heavy duty stuff.
I’ve digressed…
Back to the Covid-19 Coronavirus Art Project.
So much is being cancelled. But some things still happen, even if a little differently and one of them is the brilliant Humanising Medicine event which I was fortunate to participate in last year. Here is some blurb from this year’s art project which I submitted work to.
“2020 has been shaped by the Covid-19 pandemic. It has forced us to remain apart from each other and has challenged many aspects of our day-to-day existence. The Being Human Festival 2020 theme is ‘New Worlds’; as a part of Being Human, this exhibition aims to bring people together, to share people’s experiences of Covid-19, to understand how we can live in this new world with Covid-19.
The exhibition will feature visual art and creative writing that represents people’s experience of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is not exclusive to the experience of having Covid-19 but may also include the social implications, such as lockdown, social distancing, and wearing masks. We’re looking for art that captures the varied experiences of Covid-19 in the hope of bringing people together to share their experiences.
We are also interested in art that represents experiences of caring for people during the pandemic, which could be as a healthcare professional or as a friendly volunteer.”
The work will be (actually, now at time of publishing this, it’s now happened! ) displayed as part of a public outdoor magnet exhibition at Queen Mary University of London and will be available online as part of the Being Human festival. The exhibition will run between 12th and 20th November 2020 and will end with an evening of art and storytelling on Friday 20th November.
This event is part of Being Human 2020: https://beinghumanfestival.org/being-human-in-2020/
Quick plug for my Reusable Facemasks for deaf/Deaf/Hard of Hearing/Lipreaders.
I don’t manufacture them myself, but simply post up the designs on the massive redbubble print on demand website, so that people who want to shop for products can do so in a safe, quick and easy way. I then get around 25% as an Artist’s Margin when you buy something with my design on. So Redbubble are the business you deal with when you place an order. They are a good company, and the products are great. I have only ever had good experience with them when I have ordered products and merchandise from the.
While my Artist’s Margin doesn’t generate much finance for me, it does make a contribution towards my art working which is much appreciated. As Tesco keep telling me “Every Little Helps”.
Below are some examples. I have designed many new ones too, with smaller text for those who prefer something less bold, and a few more specific options to act as a prompt for a wider range of preferred communication methods.
Do a speed scroll and whizz past them if you don’t want to see… I have posted lots up as examples of my alternatives to clear panel facemasks for lipreading, lipreading transparent mask alternatives for Deaf, deaf, Hard of Hearing to use as a communication prompt when shopping for example.
Deaf, deaf, Hard of Hearing, Lipreaders, + Face Masks
and Matching Accessories, including Bags, Notebooks, Badges and Clothing!
Featured Collection for 2020 due to Corona Virus Pandemic are over 100 Inclusive Designs by Jenny Meehan
deaf_Deaf_Lipreader_FaceMasks_jenny_meehandeaf_Deaf_Lipreader_Face Masks_jenny_meehan to buy via redbubble print on demand site, inclusive designs and communication prompts for corona virus pandemic ©Jenny Meehan
deaf_Deaf_Lipreader_FaceMasks_jenny_meehandeaf_Deaf_Lipreader_Face Masks_jenny_meehan to buy via redbubble print on demand site, inclusive designs and communication prompts for corona virus pandemic ©Jenny Meehan
deaf_Deaf_Lipreader_FaceMasks_jenny_meehandeaf_Deaf_Lipreader_Face Masks_jenny_meehan to buy via redbubble print on demand site, inclusive designs and communication prompts for corona virus pandemic ©Jenny Meehan
Some of the pinbadges…I have really got into the flow with this Coronavirus Pandemic Project, and have now created over 100 designs!
deaf_Deaf_Lipreader_FaceMasks_jenny_meehandeaf_Deaf_Lipreader_Face Masks_jenny_meehan to buy via redbubble print on demand site, inclusive designs and communication prompts for corona virus pandemic ©Jenny Meehan
Update on Double Elephant and Riddle 57
It’s now been published online! It’s great! I’m so pleased to be part of this. Here’s a memory jogger from my past post on the Riddle 57 project!
“Double Elephant Print Workshop” Interactive Animation Project
Here’s some info quoted from the call out:
Riddle 57: an interactive animation
Venue: online | City: Exeter | Region: Devon
“Double Elephant Print Workshop have launched a lockdown project to bring together poets, historians, animators and printmakers to turn a 1000 year old riddle into an animated interactive encounter.
What is Riddle 57?
Riddle 57 is one of 94 from the Exeter Book, a tenth-century anthology of poetry in Exeter Cathedral’s library, recognised by UNESCO as one of the world’s principal cultural artefacts.
What’s the project?
The riddles in the Exeter Book are playful little windows into lives 1000 years ago. They’re dynamic – demanding to be played, replayed and interpreted.
We’re gathering a variety of images created to illustrate the interactive riddle that can be “played” by the reader online. We aim to launch this by the end of July / early August 2020.
Depending on how you translate riddle 57, it can be interpreted many ways. We’ve collaborated with Medievalists Prof Chris Jones and Dr Megan Cavell as well as contemporary poet Jacob Polley to explore translations of the text. We want to encourage a creative relationship with the text rather than seek to only find solutions.
What am I responding to?
Your work can respond to any of the three riddle translations or use Jacob Polley’s Picture Me prompts to conjure ideas from the text – whatever words or lines speak to you.
Translation 1
The air bears little things
over craggy hills.
Remarkably black they are, cloaked in shadow darkly.
Unstinting of song, they travel in troops,
call out loudly,
trample tree-filled shores, sometimes perch on dwellings of the children of men.
They call themselves by name.
Translation 2
The breeze carries tiny creatures
over braes and banks.
They are jet-black and dusty, sallow-shawled.
Loud as a chanter’s drone they swarm in droves,
drawl noisily.
Sometimes they visit groves and glen, sometimes buzz the colonies of men.
Please be naming yourselves then!
Translation 3
This emptiness floats little somethings
over steep bright slopes.
They’re blinked out in nightwear, black-dark.
Full of song when keyed together,
they carry the noise
sometimes tracked on timbered stands, the headlands of the bairns of men.
They name themselves.
Prompts:
Picture Me….
… aire, open space, a breeze, emptiness, a nothingness on which things are carried.
… little things lifted, carried,
… a hillside, a slope, a craggy hill, a timbered headland, a glen.
… the blackest things.
… a cloak of shadow.
… a heap, a mass, a crowd.
… a coming together to sound.
… a perch, a print, a mark, an impression, a stamp.
… a built hall, a walled place, a city hall, a crafty quarter, a thought house.”
I love this kind of project, so was very pleased to come across it. My past degree in Literature helped me develop a love of digging deeper into text, and so it was great to put that interest into action with my visual art.
My submission was:
“Full of song when keyed together.” (Also titled; “Ink Internal Landscape) and I submitted three related images. The one chosen you can see in this screenshot. Mine is the black and white only inky blob background image. Then in the animation other images by other artists float across it while the passage in the poem “Full of song when keyed together” is read. It’s a beautiful animation, a real joy to watch and listen to. So pleased to be part of this!
Surviving Houses 47 Nelson Square, Southwark
Final version of Surviving Houses/47 Nelson Square
Feeling very nostalgic in the midst of this pandemic. Most particularly for the times I used to travel up to London for my psychotherapy sessions at the Guild of Psychotherapists, which is based at 47 Nelson Square. I started my therapy there right back in 2012. This painting is a visual expression of that experience emotionally, which when I look back on it now, I think still rings quite accurately…It’s got a rather uncomfortable tension in it while also including the sun/moon in perfect roundness. There’s some shifting of space going on and paintwork which is very consciously a coating/covering; sometimes controlled and with defined boundaries, and other times not. I played on space a lot…and strength of presence. The painting has a framework due to the grid based composition, and the image of a house and moon/sun. The house to my thinking was a simplistic depiction of both 47 Nelson Square (though it does not attempt at an accurate representation) and also a symbol for my own mind. The fact that the building was bombed in the Second World War and survived meant a lot to me. For a felt like a bombed house, with very wonky floorboards, who had been struck to my core and I feel it’s encouraging in my painting that the house itself looks very stable!!!! It was very difficult to navigate my way forwards in life at that time, and I felt a great deal of anxiety and insecurity. It was an achievement at first to even be able to make the journey there, and to very slowly learn that there was a safe space for me. I haven’t travelled there for many years now, for my psychotherapy has been via Skype for a long time. But that will always resonate with some depth of feeling, and I am glad I painted the painting to help me remember how it was for me at that time.
I believe it’s very important to paint in the way which is accurate and correct for what you want and need to achieve at the time. This is a very non commercial approach I think to the production of fine art. However, I think as an artist it’s really vital to put yourself first in terms of what you produce, because it’s part of your journey and in this way it serves you as an important testimony to the path you travel on. This means that you will paint many paintings which you won’t necessarily want to sell or promote, but which still have an important part in your story and need to have attention drawn to them for the autobiographical role they play. Doing this is something which can happen alongside other strands of your work. It’s not possible to do all things through everything you paint. You will need to have several strands to weave through and reflect on as you and your art working develop. It is the case that for selling and sale, and for consumerist purposes, for galleries etc, there is some sense in producing more unified and maybe more uniform types of painting. I do paint in series from time to time and it’s a fund and enjoyable thing to do. It’s kind of handy if an art collector wants a few of your paintings and their wall which look particularly well matched together. But there’s no need to cramp your development by only doing this. If you take time to look at the paintings of past artists, you frequently see a very wide range of “styles” and approaches across their history. Painting is an exploration. It has need to wander around from time to time, and for experimentation. If an artist stifles this, which they may want or need to do, then that’s one way forward, but it is not the only way. I guess it depends on different objectives. Different personalities even!
I wanted to throw a painting in the mix, because I have posted up mainly digital art working recently. The painting does continue in my Studio Tent, with the snails and slugs and birds for company. I am keeping it all behind the scenes right now as this is helpful to me. To have this kind of privacy is very helpful to me from time to time. I enjoy posting on instagram and twitter, and here having a bit more of a ramble, but when generating new artwork, there needs to be a bit of a green house thing going on. A bit of protection. This is pretty much manifest materially right now, as my Studio Tent is draped with horticultural fleece to keep it warm. I work in it in the evenings very often, and it does get rather cold. But the fleece works well to keep in the heat which floats up from my small oil heater! It is like a warm cocoon, and quite good for the purpose. I can only really do seated art working in this cocoon of fleece though, so I am currently working on cutting out stencils of various motifs to use in some paintings next year. I feel the need to bring some pictorial elements into play. This is the start of that process.
This “Keim Galaxy” is titled “Positive Action” https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/47583894
This one is titled “Party Piece” https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/47583684
This one is titled “Missing Piece” https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/47583156
This one is titled “Mellow Medley” https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/47582713
This one is titled “Kind of Colossal” https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/47582369
This one is titled “Indian Summer” https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/47581344
This one is titled “Full Circle” https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/47580767
This one is titled “Free Form” https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/47580523
Well that’s it from me for this year!
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennymeehan
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams
Jenny Meehan/jennyjimjams are both Redbubble artist portfolios of British contemporary Artist Designer Jenny Meehan.
Discover Jenny Meehan via my Art Journal Blog https://jennymeehan.wordpress.com/
This licensable image by Jenny Meehan is titled “Holy Holy Holy” ©Jenny Meehan
Have a very Happy Christmas time.
COPYRIGHT REMINDER
Licences for the use of my work can be purchased via the Designer and Artists Copyright Society (DACS) who will propose a fee in line with the industry standard. I realise people and organisations sometimes have restrictive budgets, and it should be noted that the fee is an initial proposal only. Licensing fees are negotiable and I have a degree of flexibility personally depending on circumstances. DACS administrate the licensing of my art images, so please feel free to liaise with them according to your situation, and they will explain the process.
I am normally happy to take the industry standard as a starting point for negotiation of exact fee, circumstances permitting, so that use of my images can be arranged for projects which matter to me. Each year I have a limited amount of images/artwork which I donate to organisations for use, and I administrate a simple licence arrangement for these donations myself, notifying DACS of the details for their records. Unauthorized use of my work is not acceptable under any circumstances and will be followed up appropriately when copyright laws are broken.
Apart from donations of work (either material or digital) I explicitly authorise myself, it should be noted that use of artists images without explicit permission is unlawful and prohibited. Please contact me directly in the first instance if you are interested in using my work and requests will be referred over to DACS, or otherwise, as appropriate.
It is my standard practice that any images used by organisations or individuals of any kind are dealt with via the Designer and Artists Copyright Society, and this is the case even if industry fees are discounted to a degree.
Deaf Awareness and Disability Visibility – Jenny Meehan/jennyjimjams’ Coronavirus Pandemic Project
July 25, 2020
Deaf Awareness and Disability Visibility
Deaf Awareness and Disability Visibility; Face Masks for Deaf/deaf/Hard of Hearing
(plus anyone who requires assistance in seeing facial expressions, lips to read, or in other diverse spectra of communication difficulties)
With so many exhibitions cancelled, I have a little bit more time, so I am doing what I enjoy and writing another journal post! It’s likely I will put my journal posts on hold for a while, as I am using this time as a time of focusing on facemask, stickers and pinbadge designs, including many designs to help increase deaf awareness, plus providing an option and more choice for those who find communications made harder due to mass masking in the community.
While I am mostly involved in Fine Art, my practice is eclectic and I enjoy design work. I’m going to ramble on down one track now, as my most recent Coronavirus Creative Project is in the forefront of my mind.
My Jenny Meehan/Jennyjimjams Redbubble Shop is here:
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/shop
I add designs to my Deaf/deaf/Hard of Hearing Face Mask Collection every few weeks, so do take a look at the latest new designs!
I also have many patterned Reusable Face Mask designs on my Redbubble profile too, so take a look at those too!
If you are here to look at a wider overview of my Fine Art, then scroll on down to the various past posts to get a wider overview. The MENU tab shows the four pages of this journal, two of which are dedicated to my knee replacement journey and the other two contact pages.
As this is a wordpress blog, you can locate the stream of my posts in reverse chronological order by scrolling downwards, or take a pot luck approach by using the SEARCH box. I don’t currently have a website, apart from my old one, jamartlondon.com, as that’s something I plan to update next year. If you scroll right down to the bottom, There is s RECENT POSTS section where you can pick a recent stream of journalling. Pressing the SHOW FULL SITE tab is another option.
jenny meehan
Jenny Meehan: Deaf/deaf Masks Communication Prompt Aids
Deaf Awareness and Disability Visibility; Jenny Meehan jennyjimjams
Aside: Jennyjimjams is a nick name given to me by a dentist I worked for once when a Dental Nurse. I rather like it, so use it in some of my social media and one of my two redbubble artist profiles! I do, also, do quite a bit of work in my pyjamas, as I have happily been working from home for years, and you can do that kind of thing!
About this Project:
I have been very busy designing many options for reusable cloth barrier type face masks! Inspired by a past career as a Dental Nurse, in which I wore a surgical face mask every working day, the mask topic has always been on my interest radar, and was right back in March 2020. I do wish we were wearing them indoors in public spaces earlier in greater numbers, but, well, we are finally here in Coronavirus Pandemic face covering/mass masking time.
This is not very good for communications though…particularly for those who are Deaf, deaf, Hard of Hearing or have other communication needs which mean they really do need to see your face when talking. There are many, many ways you can help make things easier, and the most important thing is to be patient, disability aware, and respectful. Ask the person you are talking to what they would like you to do to help. Different people will have different communication needs.
Everyone is very different. Some people are comfortable with you lowering your mask at distance, others may not be. There are speech to text apps, pen and paper, good lighting, reduction of background noise, making sure you face the person directly, re phrase and repeat if necessary. These are just a few suggestions. There are many Deaf/deaf/Hard of Hearing bloggers blogging about their experiences of being out and about in the Coronavirus Pandemic, what mass masking means for them, and how it affects their lives. So taking the time to speak to deaf/Deaf/Hard of Hearing folk, and/or reading on the internet about pandemic life and what communication barriers it presents, is all a good use of time.
Clear Face masks, See-Through Masks, Window Masks are very popular, but may not suit every persons needs or preferences. I feel the more choice people have the better, and so I hope my designs can be a useful resource for many Deaf/deaf hard of hearing folk, especially for those routine tasks like shopping, etc where most of the communications will be with hearing folk. I’ve made a HUGE range of different options with respect to wording and design, and I hope my energy spent in creating fashionable, stylish designs, in over 100 different options, brings an extra bit of a smile to anyone who benefits from using them. I have worked really hard to create a good range, because inclusive design matters and I wanted to put my creative skill to a good use at this difficult time.
While many people lipread, its ONE mode of communication and lack of awareness and knowledge mean that if a deaf person is wearing a clear mask, window mask, or see-through mask, the hearing person may assume that seeing their lips alone will suffice, whereas this is not always the case at all. For example, A deaf/Deaf person wearing a window mask may still want someone to write something down for clarification, or prefer to use AI… There are many wonderful speech to texts Apps available. Or to write something down may be preferable full stop.
No group of people is identical (obvious, but we need reminding!) and so the more options people have the better. Deaf/deaf hard of hearing people, and anyone with hearing loss to varying degrees, (or other communication difficulties) encounters more difficulty with communication due to the Coronavirus Pandemic mass masking. The wearing of barrier masks in the community is, in my opinion, very wise, but it is a supplementary measure to distancing. It is keeping the physical distance which is key, and for brief interactions, the guidance is currently (at the time of writing this, in England), that one metre+ for distance is sufficient.
When a deaf/Deaf Hard of hearing person, (or someone who needs others to remove their mask to aid communication for any other reason) is shopping, for example, if they request you remove your face mask to help with a brief communication, it is important that you are aware this is a perfectly reasonable, and not an “unsafe” request. The reality is, that if you remove your face mask for someone to aid communication, it is THEM not yourself, who has more prerogative to make that decision, in relation to their own choices with respect to any risk factors. Note.. Obviously we all have rights, and the current situation, it’s really vital to respect other peoples level of comfort and feelings and not violate those. I write what I write with respect to the principle. In practice, there will be people, from both positions, who are not comfortable with this option and mutual respect is key. The key is, you ask! And communicate clearly and respectfully.
Deaf Awareness and Disability Visibility Coronavirus Pandemia!
I’ve created a large collection of different communication prompt/deaf awareness reusable face coverings. Take a look at one whole collection here:
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/shop?artistUserName=jennyjimjams&collections=1511687&iaCode=all-departments&sortOrder=recent
There is a maximum of 100 designs per collection on redbubble, and I have exceeded that number, so in addition to the deaf awareness and disability awareness designs in the collection, I have now many others floating around among my other redbubble.com artworks!
I have TWO redbubble artist profiles, jennyjimjams.redbubble.com and JennyMeehan.redbubble.com. I’m putting my Deaf/deaf/Hard of Hearing and Disability Visibility designs on my jennyjimjams.redbubble.com profile. Jennyjimjams.redbubble.com is the redbubble Artist shopfront I use for graphic designs and single, fine art type artworks. I use my other redbubble.com artist shopfront, JennyMeehan.redbubble.com, mostly for surface pattern designs of interest to interior designers, for home decoration, interior stylists and homes and interiors kind of things!
With Christmas2020 coming… And how different is that going to be this year? Online shopping is going to be the way ahead for many of us when looking for Christmas gifts and presents. I’m happy to sing the praises of Redbubble as an online print-on-demand Marketplace, as I have ordered from them myself and have always been delighted with the products I received. Redbubble are the ones who you make your transaction with…they fulfil your order. Yet as the indie artist who created the graphics printed on your product, I get an artist’s margin, so please choose my designs if you like what I am doing here!
Thoughts on the Mass Masking Battleground!
If you are not interested in my thoughts on mass masking, skip this part and shimmy down to see some of my deaf/Deaf hard of hearing, hearing loss designs. I create a few more each week, so there are new ones appearing all the time. This blog shows only a selection.
PS: Please send me feedback, via this blogs contact form, if you find the work I have done with creating my designs for Deaf/deaf people helpful. I have also created more broader communication prompts, which could be useful for other special needs or people with different disabilities. (There is Bubblemail on Redbubble.com but both people need to be logged in to see messages).
One simple principle which community mass masking operates on is tidal breath deflection. The potentially helpful effects of mass masking in the community are about simple breath deflection with an additional aspect of a partial, physical barrier to larger droplets. (Also known as basic hygiene!)
Your tidal breath (when you speak or breath naturally) comes out your mouth at speed, and wearing a barrier mask deflects that breath in a way which means it doesn’t travel so far. Barrier masks/surgical masks don’t do anything more than they have ever done. They are not designed to totally block the transmission of respiratory viruses. They are a matter of simple hygiene and, in the case of a surgical setting, they do act as a partial barrier to droplets when in close proximity. All that blood and splashes of saliva, etc! A basic, physical barrier is a good thing, and when coughs and sneezes are around it’s easy to see how wearing a face covering is common sense in the midst of a global pandemic.
It has been hard for many, with our black and white thinking, (all prone to that!) to think that either face masks “work” or they don’t. But life is never black and white. It is far more nuanced. A partial barrier, or anything which offers some help in a situation, to my mind is well worth it. The problem is maybe that people ascribe more to the wearing of face coverings than actually exists. However, this was a known, and predicted problem.
Unfortunately, I have seen for myself, many times, that the wearing of face masks and face coverings does result in people not keeping an appropriate distance, but if people think they are “protected” by wearing them I guess that’s not surprising. There is so much about Covid_19 that is unknown, and probably always will be, but I think the thing which is, maybe, helpful to bear in mind, is that it appears that the MAIN transmission route for Covid_19 is airborne, therefore it’s really important to keep a DISTANCE and avoid indoor crowded spaces for any lengthy duration of time if practically possible. Virus straight out of an infected persons mouth, via tidal breath, when face to face over a period of time, is the thing to be aware of, more than which particular type of barrier mask is better or worse.
NOTE: I am sharing my own perspectives here. I am not, and do not claim to be an expert of any kind, and the reality is, that with Covid-19 we are in unknown territory. Airborne transmission was frequently thought irrelevant at the outset… that has changed. I have based my approach on my own experiences and general interests. Right from the outset, my thinking was largely coloured by previous (still mysterious!) influenza A examples of research, and the tidal breath matter has been something which I have thought key.
Yet it is also the case that disagreement over virus transmission has ALWAYS been present. With so far encountered viruses, there are conflicting views and results. We may not like conflicting information, views, and grey areas in the midst of a global pandemic, but this is something we need to accept, for our own mental well being.
Follow the Government guidelines for good hygiene and as the research develops things may change. Wearing barrier face coverings and face masks is prudent and considerate in the middle of a global pandemic!
Disability Awareness and Disability Visibility
Due to my own experience of what is often termed “hidden disability” during the most difficult phase of my trauma recovery journey and other disability (ie not being able to walk for more than ten minutes with a stick for just over a year prior to my knee replacement), plus the osteoarthritis which is still often quite a big pain, (though not in my new knee!) an interest in disabilities has emerged in my work. Inclusive art is a key value, and to use my design skills to help others in creative visual ways is very exciting to me. I think taking part in the shape open last year helped too. https://www.shapearts.org.uk/blog/shape-open-2019-artists-announced
My design for a new international symbol of access is probably something which will never get any further than the publication in the Shape Open Catalogue, because there are huge amounts of hoops and legislation to do something like change the International Symbol of Access. There are so many countries and organisations involved. However, what I have been able to do is put my design hat on and come up with lots of options which I hope will act as communication prompts for people in certain situations. Now we are wearing masks more of the time, to put things on a mask to help may be a good option for some people. I have also ensured that many of my inclusive designs are available on other accessories and clothing for those who cannot wear a mask themselves.
I hope you like looking at the design examples I have posted on here. The are all ©Jenny Meehan. To get a better idea of how HUGE my deaf awareness and disabiltiy visibility range is, do take a look at my redbubble jennyjimjams artist profile though! I think I may be well up to around 300 so far!
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams
I use the artist margin I get (when all deductions taken by redbubble for the manufacture, etc) to help buy materials for my fine art practice. I have found over the years that being a fine artist is a challenge to sustain, but I do my best to try and sustain the creative vision and the work I do, basically because I believe wholeheartedly that visual art and all the arts are essential to good quality of life, health, and to an imaginative and vibrant culture.
I do not personally operate on a profit making basis. Any financial benefits received from this project feed straight into my fine art fund and help me buy what I need to continue my focus as a fine artist. Redbubble.com is it’s own business, and one I am a fan of because it means artists like me can spread our artwork far and wide. Not everyone can afford to buy original artworks, but redbubble.com means you can buy affordable prints from great artists, and help support them at the same time as getting something unique and original. I love it!
There are literally thousands of artists and designers on redbubble. I am just one. So if my designs are useful to you, please let me know because it’s always a great encouragement. Thanks!
A good scheme they are doing at this current time is donating one mask to a charity for each one you buy. More info on the redbubble website.
They also run various discounts and promotions if you are registered with them.
Redbubble are an ethically sound company, and get any products they print on demand printed as near to the buyer geographically as possible to reduce their carbon footprint. Different products are sometimes printed in different facilities.
Examples of Deaf Awareness/Disability Awareness Pandemia by Jenny Meehan
Now I’ve posted loads of images as examples, but since doing so I have added more designs, so this is simply a taster!
I’ve created a large collection of different communication prompt/deaf awareness reusable face coverings. Take a look at just one collection here:
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/shop?artistUserName=jennyjimjams&collections=1511687&iaCode=all-departments&sortOrder=recent
A rather lippy one!
deaf_Deaf_Lipreader_FaceMasks_jenny_meehandeaf_Deaf_Lipreader_Face Masks_jenny_meehan to buy via redbubble print on demand site, inclusive designs and communication prompts for corona virus pandemic ©Jenny Meehan
deaf_Deaf_Lipreader_FaceMasks_jenny_meehandeaf_Deaf_Lipreader_Face Masks_jenny_meehan to buy via redbubble print on demand site, inclusive designs and communication prompts for corona virus pandemic ©Jenny Meehan
deaf_Deaf_Lipreader_FaceMasks_jenny_meehandeaf_Deaf_Lipreader_Face Masks_jenny_meehan to buy via redbubble print on demand site, inclusive designs and communication prompts for corona virus pandemic ©Jenny Meehan
deaf_Deaf_Lipreader_FaceMasks_jenny_meehandeaf_Deaf_Lipreader_Face Masks_jenny_meehan to buy via redbubble print on demand site, inclusive designs and communication prompts for corona virus pandemic ©Jenny Meehan
Deaf, deaf, Hard of Hearing, Lipreading Reusable Masks
and Matching Accessories, including Bags, Notebooks, Badges and Clothing!
Here are some more examples. Being a bit lazy and just showing screenshots. Reason being I have spent so much time on this project that I seriously need to get into my studio tent and get on with some visual experiments I am busy with in there…!
deaf_Deaf_Lipreader_FaceMasks_jenny_meehandeaf_Deaf_Lipreader_Face Masks_jenny_meehan to buy via redbubble print on demand site, inclusive designs and communication prompts for corona virus pandemic ©Jenny Meehan
deaf_Deaf_Lipreader_FaceMasks_jenny_meehandeaf_Deaf_Lipreader_Face Masks_jenny_meehan to buy via redbubble print on demand site, inclusive designs and communication prompts for corona virus pandemic ©Jenny Meehan
I often do my exercises, which I need to do for my joints each morning and think up ideas for different designs while doing my exercises! Yes, and I am indeed, in my pyjamas, as you would expect jennyjimjams to be!
It’s a shame the redbubble masks have ear loops…I know these are not good for many people. I think problems could be got around by doing what I do with my home made face covering…. a large elastic band and safety pins, works well and then the mask can go around the back of your head. You can adjust the elasticity depending on where you pin the elastic bands (if a fabric face covering.
With the ear loop masks, I think if you had a big elastic band you could knot it round one loop and then use the pin on the other. Or just loop a large elastic band around the ear loops and join it with one safety pin. Easy to remove when you need to wash your face mask. I am really sorry there are no other options, but I don’t actually manufacture the face masks, just create the graphic designs!
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams
To buy the fruits of my Coronavirus Pandemic Creative Project!
deaf_Deaf_Lipreader_FaceMasks_jenny_meehandeaf_Deaf_Lipreader_Face Masks_jenny_meehan to buy via redbubble print on demand site, inclusive designs and communication prompts for corona virus pandemic ©Jenny Meehan
deaf_Deaf_Lipreader_FaceMasks_jenny_meehandeaf_Deaf_Lipreader_Face Masks_jenny_meehan to buy via redbubble print on demand site, inclusive designs and communication prompts for corona virus pandemic ©Jenny Meehan
The link which takes you to view ALL my designs, and not just the Deaf, deaf, Lipreaders, Hard of Hearing Collection of Face Masks, and matching accessories, badges, etc is
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams
To buy the fruits of my Coronavirus Pandemic Creative Project!
The link which takes you to view ALL my designs, and not just the Deaf, deaf, Lipreaders, Hard of Hearing Collection of Face Masks, and matching accessories, badges, etc is here:
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore to view the design artworks, minus images of them applied onto products.
The designs for Deaf, deaf, hard of hearing I have shown you here are some of the most recent ones, but I have designed a vast landscape of options, with many variations, including some with distancing prompts and reminders, some with specific reference to lipreading and others with none, some suggesting that the other person lowers their mask when asked, and others which just ask the other person to lower their mask automatically.
Some include “please” and other such niceties, others are just straight to the point. I have consulted many people on the various issues which are encountered by Deaf, deaf and hard of hearing folk. Not so much on the other reasons why people find communications adversely affected by face masks and face coverings. I am open to being educated, so please do feel free to let me have constructive critical suggestions and feedback. Very welcome.
Face Covering Exemptions by UK Government
Well, these do change, but at the time of writing…
There are exemptions to the new rules for children under 11, those with disabilities or certain health conditions, such as respiratory or cognitive impairments that make it difficult for them to wear a face covering.
There is a card you can print out from the government’s website, to show exception if wished, but stressed people would not be expected to carry proof of an exemption.
It’s worth noting that it’s perfectly reasonable for you to ask someone to remove their mask (at distance of min 1 metre advisable) if this is needed by you to aid communication. People have different comfort levels and emotions can run high as people are subject to various fears, and may have many different reasons to feel they want two people to wear face coverings, even if in a non medical setting for brief interactions, so worth bearing that in mind. If someone is not comfortable, then they could used a visor, a transparent screen, or a face mask with a transparent window.
This is really important:
You can lower or remove a face mask or face covering:
if speaking with people who rely on lip reading, facial expressions and clear sound. Some may ask you, either verbally or in writing, to remove a covering to help with communication
It’s really important for people to keep their distance! Rather than whip your face mask or face covering down, ask first if the person wants that!
This also really important:
“In settings where face coverings are required in England, there are some circumstances, for health, age or equality reasons, where people are not expected to wear face coverings. Please be mindful and respectful of such circumstances, noting that some people are less able to wear face coverings, and that the reasons for this may not be visible to others.”
see more here:
I have designed many other designs, hopefully suited to different needs, preferences and situations. I hope they help!
The link which takes you to view ALL my designs, and not just the Deaf, deaf, Lipreaders, Hard of Hearing Collection of Face Masks, and matching accessories, badges, etc is here:
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
If you have purchased any of my designs from redbubble.com, do please let me know, and if you have a photo of yourself and your purchase, send it my way if you are OK with it being published on the internet in this blog. I don’t know the identity of who purchases products with my art and design on via Redbubble, so it’s always nice to know who is enjoying my work!
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams
To buy the fruits of my Coronavirus Pandemic Creative Project!
sunflower by Jenny Meehan ©Jenny Meehan
Let’s be KIND… Really kind, to ourselves and others too!
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams
To buy the fruits of my Coronavirus Pandemic Creative Project!
Great Christmas Gifts! You could make up your own Christmas Hamper for someone, with a few items from my redbubble shopfront on redbubble, and some food and drink maybe! Masks2Match some snazzy socks, a stylish fashionable reusable mask and maybe a notebook…So they can write all about it!
Deaf, deaf, Hard of Hearing, Lipreaders, + Face Masks
and Matching Accessories, including Bags, Notebooks, Badges and Clothing!
Featured Collection for 2020 due to Corona Virus Pandemic are over Inclusive Designs by Jenny Meehan
Clear Facemasks, Window Masks, Transparent Masks, See-Through Masks are all useful at this time, yet it is also important that different preferences and needs are met. I’ve combined my passion for art and design with an interest in communication needs, face masks, and special needs/disabilities.. plus the need for increasing deaf awareness so vital at this current time where mass masking is a supplementary public health measure to physical distancing.
Link direct to the whole collection here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/shop?artistUserName=jennyjimjams&asc=u&collections=1511687&iaCode=all-departments&sortOrder=relevant
I have personally renamed this novel coronavirus “Flummox” because that seems to be one of the main the defining features of it. Oh well
Indeed, I may well produce a series of art work titled “Flummox”. I like the sound of the word, and it presents something I have been thinking about for some time. What are we like, and how do we react? (and what am I like, and how do I react?), to things which I don’t understand, cannot control, and which speak “uncertainty” in the loudest voice possible?
Flummoxed;
“Completely unabldwell e to understand : utterly confused or perplexed”
This virus has brought this home to me. How much security I can get from knowledge and the words “I know”. But unknowing too is part of life and just as important.
I hope and pray, of course, that Scientists discover more and more about severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It’s been my main prayer, because it’s wonderful when all the research and work which is being done comes to some useful resolution. It’s a nice, clear, focused prayer too. So to seek to get beyond the unknown into the known is a key movement within us. And part of our survival. Is it also a key movement to seek to get beyond the known into the unknown too? Yes, and also part of our survival.
We can embrace mystery and what we cannot see clearly.
Here are some of my favourite quotes from “The Cloud of Unknowing”. Very much out of context, of course. But good to hold for a moment anyway.
“The universes which are amenable to the intellect can never satisfy the instincts of the heart.”
― Anonymous, The Cloud of Unknowing
“For I tell you this: one loving, blind desire for God alone is more valuable in itself, more pleasing to God and to the saints, more beneficial to your own growth, and more helpful to your friends, both living and dead, than anything else you could do.”
― Anonymous, The Cloud of Unknowing
“Prayer, said Mechthild of Magdeburg, brings together two lovers, God and the soul, in a narrow room where they speak much of love: and here the rules which govern that meeting are laid down by a master’s hand.”
― Anonymous, The Cloud of Unknowing
“So be very careful how you spend your time. There is nothing more precious. In the twinkling of an eye, heaven may be won or lost.”
― Anonymous, The Cloud of Unknowing
I’ve been working on some You Tube Videos, utilising previous imagery as well as creating new imagery. With family members at home it’s been a big priority to finish mending my studio tent so that I have somewhere to go, but alongside that, various digital imagery tasks are not affected by the Covid 19/Corona Virus place we now inhabit.
Alabaster Loving; A Poem in Memory of my Mother by Jenny Meehan
I’m very pleased with this poem. It is something I have been working away on for several years, but I have finally hit the final version now. It takes a while. I’m grateful for it. And for the work in psychotherapy which is as much a part of the poem as the poem itself. I could not have written this poem or expressed myself in this way without the years of therapy I have had. To touch on certain feelings and memories wouldn’t have been possible without the help of my therapist and the hours of work we spent. My mother experienced long term mental disorders and this shaped her life, and mine in many ways. Some aspects of her experience were awful for her, and traumatic for myself, also causing suffering for other family members in different ways. I feel a lot of compassion towards her now, and though its been a hard road to walk along, I am indeed grateful for the little bit of pale blue, which I am reminded of each year when I look at the “Forget-me-nots” in my own garden. My mother enjoyed gardening, and had many large clumps of “Forget-me-nots” growing in the garden which she tended with care when she was able to. I admire her now for all she gave to me and I am in a better place to appreciate it. So for my dear mum, Eleonora Rosa Gray (née Eicher) “Norli” I miss you. This poem is my thank you.
Alabaster Loving – Jenny Meehan 2020 Final Edit
I’ve hardened my heart;
made a cave
within which
I can hide away
my flesh; bruised, dark.
It sobs in silence
surrounded;
still,
alone.
You came later; bearing gifts from afar…
Some nativity story, you said; in recognition of me being
the chosen one.
Redeemer, and Saviour of your soul;
my love,
holding the hope you hungered for.
But I could not carry it.
Each little spark of faith
placed religiously
in rapid motion;
Layer upon layer
tear upon tear
Sorrow upon sorrow.
You looked to me;
believed your self would define
your better being
in a little child…
But I could not carry it.
“I wish you were like other mummies.” I say.
And you are sadder still.
I see them, with their children, laughing.
I wish for my own fairy godmother;
able to transform rags.
Cinderella’s dress is blue, with a bright bodice.
Joy is not squeezed out of her; she lives.
Reality on the cover of a single book.
I am sorry for my hard heart. I know now
it must have hurt you; the reality.
I pulled myself together
into such a tight knot;
in order to preserve my life.
I did not mean to make a stone of it.
I remember wanting you, on the coach back from Bexhill.
Lumps in my throat (I had mumps)
but also bumps of sadness.
Looking out of the window, and seeing you in the distance…
(though you were not really there, as we had not got back yet.)
I wanted to buy you some flowers; they were “Gypsophila”
(Commonly known as “Baby’s Breath”)
Small, white, and dry,
yet pretty.
Then you were there.
I was glad to see you. You felt like my Mummy, and you looked after me.
But it didn’t last very long.
The flowers, quite possibly,
outlived you.
I forget good times.
I’m sorry for that. I know they are there.
I wrapped the gifts you gave in the paper you gave.
It was not soft, pink, tissue, but earth brown; protective.
I wish it were different.
It’s hard to think of the colours.
Do they make the darkness darker?
“Gypsophila; commonly known as “Baby’s Breath”.
In tight knots of white,
I fight, outward
Tight
clutch your bunch, little hands…
Finger strands
reach
as thin, fine, stalks
balancing flowers
in air.
Know “Gypsophila ” means gypsum- loving.
Gypsum white.
Hard.
I’m making my dry flowers damp.
I sow tears,
but my flesh is warm.
I think you are in heaven now.
It being a safe place; I know you are fine.
I know your maker knows you
and holds your story within his own flesh;
bound in holy suffering;
Complete.
Divine.
I know he knows my story too…
Incomplete, yet unravelling.
Unravelling, as self-seeded flowers…
Small, and unpretending.
Moisture loving,
in the childhood garden.
Ever living, little eyes; meeting mine.
No need of nurture. Only spread
by finding crevice or gap
in which to place and plant
their fragile root.
Forget-Me-Nots
Lay their cloud-like carpet over the earth,
winking dots of timid,
almost, blue.
“The Creator thought he had finished giving
the flowers their colours, then
he heard one whisper; “Forget me not!”
There was nothing left but a very, small, amount of blue.
But the forget-me-not was delighted to wear
such a light blue shade.”
I can hold my stone; I need not throw it…
Hold it.
Bury it.
Not re-membered – exactly –
but neither
forgot.
Jenny Meehan 2018 (2020 final edit)
Here’s a link to me reading the poem of you tube.
My mum was born in Germany, in Villingen in the Schwarzwald-Baar district in southern Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
She then lived in Basel, Switzerland. I think they moved there when she was around 4 just before the Second World War. When she was around 19 or 20 she came to the UK and worked as an Au Pair for the Boxall family in New Malden, Surrey. Dr Peter Alfred Boxall was a General Practitioner in New Malden, Surrey from 1951 -1988. My mother helped look after the two children. I understand they later went on to have two more children. She got married in 1957 to my Dad, Gordon William Gray. She brought up three children, myself and two siblings. Her mental health disorders were an immense challenge. It’s amazing what she achieved, and I am very grateful for her and having her influence in my life. She was a key factor in my love of art and with respect to the Christian faith. Thanks Mum. x
Putting “Keim Galaxies” Series of artworks up on redbubble.com at the moment!
I am gradually putting the Galaxies up online at redbubble.com.
All my artwork is ©jenny meehan.
Redbubble.com is a print on demand site, so a useful way of making my work accessible and affordable. The products are good quality.
Delivery may take some time at the moment but take a look on the website for more information.
When you buy anything with my art/design on, I will get an artist’s margin. Once deductions for manufacturing, exchange rates etc taken off I don’t get very much. It’s around 25% of what you pay. However, I am keen to keep my work on there to be as affordable as possible, so I am keeping my margin low. I could make it higher, but then the increase in margin reflects the overall cost to you. The main advantage is that they take care of all the work apart from actually my own creation of the image in the first place. It makes my work accessible which is very important to me. It’s quick and convenient for the buyer and doesn’t tie me down with manufacturing the artwork in various forms. Let’s face it…It takes enough work to create the art work in the first place, without needing to distribute it. I am learning more as I get older to accept my own limitations!
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore is my main redbubble.com portfolio, and the “explore” option is the best way of taking a quick look at which designs I have posted up on there.
Bit more about the Galaxies:
The “Keim Galaxies” range from the subtle and spontaneous, to the bold and highly ordered. I introduced some obviously geometric elements, but while putting them into play, I also aimed to keep a sense of fluidity where possible. I’ve played with contrasts in line, clarity, shape, pattern, scale, and colour, thereby forming an interesting range of imaginative “Galaxies” I hope you’ll enjoy.
These designs are evidence of beauty expressed through an adventurous, creative, process. They are perfect for interiors which embrace the natural mineral and earth colours. These designs will perfectly complement any eco-friendly interior setting where traditional pigment paint colours are utilised. Many of these designs will also work to add a contemporary twist in a historic/heritage setting, due to the harmony of the colour palette.
The “Keim Galaxies” were made possible through the kind donation of un-manipulated digital images of Keim Mineral Paint colours being mixed at the Telford, UK site. These images were used as the starting material for art/designs. This was an independent project, not a commissioned series or work, but having previously used Keim Mineral Paints for several murals I painted, I devised the series of “Keim Galaxies” to celebrate my love of this paint. I continue to use it in most of my original fine paintings, but working digitally is part of my artistic practice, and it was a delight to use the colours I love in a slightly different way!
The titles of the Keim Galaxies were created through imaginative ingenuity, and were gathered from many sources, including personal memories, music, dance, and the emotions they illicit when viewed. Spirituality, faith, prayer, and joy in life informs all of my visual art working.
It feels good to use eco-friendly, environmentally-friendly paints with traditional colours in a new and innovative way, bringing quite a contemporary twist to the traditional mineral pigments which I love. The digital process and dyes used in printing have different aesthetic qualities to the mineral pigments, but the colour palette resonates throughout the series, with the occasional addition of the bright red which is the colour of the Keim paint bucket!
If there is something of mine you have seen on Instagram, LinkedIn, or my Jenny Meehan Contemporary Artist’s Journal and you would like it available on redbubble, just contact me directly and I can put it up on redbubble.com.
Contact me:
https://jennymeehan.wordpress.com/jenny-meehan-jennifer-meehan-how-to-contact-me.
I am able to locate the artwork from my extensive digital archive and put it up on redbubble within 3 days. Once it’s up there, you purchase the print or product online and your order is fulfilled by redbubble.com
Other options for buying are you contact me and I can get a print made elsewhere, but generally this often tends to work out more expensive and does take longer. However, If you require a signed art print, or redbubble do not offer the substrate or format you need, this is a better option for you.
Interior designers looking for specific formats and substrates for large scale artwork for corporate, office and business environments or other public spaces may wish to contact me directly for custom made, large scale, interior wall art, prints, etc. Enquiries most welcome.
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore is the best link to take a quick peruse of which designs I have posted up on Redbubble. This is my MAIN redbubble.com portfolio and the one I post up the “Keim Galaxies” Series.
I do have an additional secondary redbubble.com portfolio, but this just has geometric patterns on it. https://www.redbubble.com/people/JennyMeehan/explore
Here are some examples of the “Keim Galaxies” I have already put up on my redbubble portfolio, with direct links to the art/design.
This “Keim Galaxy” is titled; “Undergrowth” You can see options for having it printed on large scale wall art, wall hangings and other soft furnishing and merchandise on the print on demand site redbbubble.com. Great for interior designers or anyone seeking to develop a new look for their interiors, be they domestic, industrial, office or other.
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/47584960
Note; image above is low resolution and a lower quality image than that possible to license via DACS
This “Keim Galaxy” is titled “Star Quality”
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/47584667
Note; image above is low resolution and a lower quality image than that possible to license via DACS
This “Keim Galaxy” is titled “Pure and Simple”
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/47584464
Note; image above is low resolution and a lower quality image than that possible to license via DACS
This “Keim Galaxy” is titled “Psychedelia” https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/47584216
Note; image above is low resolution and a lower quality image than that possible to license via DACS
General Helpful Info on buying prints, soft furnishings, home decor and other merchandise for the home from redbubble.com
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
Art Image Licensing – How to use an image created by Jenny Meehan
If you want a licence for use, this is possible through the Designer and Artists’ Copyright Society (DACS) Contact me in the first instance. While licensing fees proposed by DACS are in line with the industry standard, I can often be flexible regarding fees in certain circumstances, depending on project, and the initial fee proposed by DACS is only a starting point. I appreciate the need for publishing companies and graphic designers to work within a feasible budget!
Exhibitions and Projects I’m involved in during 2020
Dwell Time Launch on 15th July
I am delighted to have my submitted work “Sticky Note to Myself” included in this very worthwhile publication and the launch was a really interesting online event.
Text quoted from https://communityrail.org.uk
“With Covid-19 putting the world on hold, Community Rail Award winners, Dwell Time has postponed their Issue 2 publication launches in March as the UK went into lockdown. In place of the live events originally scheduled for March, an online launch in July will feature their original film programme focusing on mental well-being.
The online launch programme features selected films by Lucy Barker & Ben NCM, Louis Benoit, Community Rail Cumbria, Robert C Clarke, Ralph Dartford, Leo Fernandez-Arias, Katie Gornall, Finn Harvor, Sophie Hoyle, Janet Lees, Maciej Piątek, Carolyn Richardson, Libby Scarlett.
Dwell Time’s YouTube channel will feature the film programme from midday on Wednesday 15 July 2020. Discussions about the films are welcomed on the Dwell Time Facebook and Twitter pages from midday, welcoming feedback and comments about the films and the issues they raise plus links to related artworks and support.
Dwell Time Issue 2 will be available to order by post and a pdf download available from the Dwell Time website. The print publication and pdf are free with only postage costs applicable.
When it is safe to open, Issue 2 will also be available from Dwell Time Central in Huddersfield with wider distribution when it’s possible.”
Link to the Dwell Time website:
https://dwelltimepress.wordpress.com/
Specific link to my submitted art work:
https://dwelltimepress.wordpress.com/2019/07/31/jenny-meehan-sticky-note-to-my-self/
© jenny meehan “Sticky Note to Myself” Mental Health, Health and Illness, mental health awareness, art work published in “Dwell Time”
“This piece is called “Sticky Note to my Self”. The realities of life are sometimes very hard to bear. Like printed matter, certain facts stare us in the face, and however hard we try to pull them off, it’s just not possible. I chose facts about the Penistone line, because of the publication which is part of the Dwell Time project, but this artwork refers to my own significant train journey to London for psychotherapy on a weekly basis for five years. This sticky note reminds me of my internal journey from one place to another…going in either direction over different units of time.
Thankfully with the right help and support, over the years, the overarching movement is in the direction of health: MOVING and BEING. I hope this is helpful to you in some way.”
“Double Elephant Print Workshop” Interactive Animation Project
I’m looking forward to seeing this too!
Here’s some info quoted from the call out:
Riddle 57: an interactive animation
Venue: online | City: Exeter | Region: Devon
“Double Elephant Print Workshop have launched a lockdown project to bring together poets, historians, animators and printmakers to turn a 1000 year old riddle into an animated interactive encounter.
What is Riddle 57?
Riddle 57 is one of 94 from the Exeter Book, a tenth-century anthology of poetry in Exeter Cathedral’s library, recognised by UNESCO as one of the world’s principal cultural artefacts.
What’s the project?
The riddles in the Exeter Book are playful little windows into lives 1000 years ago. They’re dynamic – demanding to be played, replayed and interpreted.
We’re gathering a variety of images created to illustrate the interactive riddle that can be “played” by the reader online. We aim to launch this by the end of July / early August 2020.
Depending on how you translate riddle 57, it can be interpreted many ways. We’ve collaborated with Medievalists Prof Chris Jones and Dr Megan Cavell as well as contemporary poet Jacob Polley to explore translations of the text. We want to encourage a creative relationship with the text rather than seek to only find solutions.
What am I responding to?
Your work can respond to any of the three riddle translations or use Jacob Polley’s Picture Me prompts to conjure ideas from the text – whatever words or lines speak to you.
Translation 1
The air bears little things
over craggy hills.
Remarkably black they are, cloaked in shadow darkly.
Unstinting of song, they travel in troops,
call out loudly,
trample tree-filled shores, sometimes perch on dwellings of the children of men.
They call themselves by name.
Translation 2
The breeze carries tiny creatures
over braes and banks.
They are jet-black and dusty, sallow-shawled.
Loud as a chanter’s drone they swarm in droves,
drawl noisily.
Sometimes they visit groves and glen, sometimes buzz the colonies of men.
Please be naming yourselves then!
Translation 3
This emptiness floats little somethings
over steep bright slopes.
They’re blinked out in nightwear, black-dark.
Full of song when keyed together,
they carry the noise
sometimes tracked on timbered stands, the headlands of the bairns of men.
They name themselves.
Prompts:
Picture Me….
… aire, open space, a breeze, emptiness, a nothingness on which things are carried.
… little things lifted, carried,
… a hillside, a slope, a craggy hill, a timbered headland, a glen.
… the blackest things.
… a cloak of shadow.
… a heap, a mass, a crowd.
… a coming together to sound.
… a perch, a print, a mark, an impression, a stamp.
… a built hall, a walled place, a city hall, a crafty quarter, a thought house.”
I love this kind of project, so was very pleased to come across it. My past degree in Literature helped me develop a love of digging deeper into text, and so it was great to put that interest into action with my visual art.
My submission:
“Full of song when keyed together.” (Also titled; “Ink Internal Landscape)
I often employ dual titles for my work.
ink internal landscape, full of song when keyed together, jenny meehan, drawing, ink, stick, abstract expressionist, landscape, imagination, mind, music, visual sound, ©jenny meehan
ink internal landscape, full of song when keyed together, jenny meehan, drawing, ink, stick, abstract expressionist, landscape, imagination, mind, music, visual sound, ©jenny meehan
ink internal landscape, full of song when keyed together, jenny meehan, drawing, ink, stick, abstract expressionist, landscape, imagination, mind, music, visual sound, ©jenny meehan
“This drawing was made with a stick and some ink. It’s a kind of inner landscape; an exploration, which resonates for me with the black birds songs in my garden, heard during this time of lockdown. How beautiful time to reflect can be!
The little marks and gestures strike, my mind in a musical way, taking journeys through air and over ground, both material and immaterial, some kind of visual sound is heard in the composition. So it was great to find a line in this piece of writing, which met my drawing in such an extraordinary way. It’s perfect; “Full of song when keyed together.”
I’ve created two reflections digitally on the original drawing, so keying together the first in a way which responds to translation 3 of the riddle’s words.
I’m happy for any, all, or any selection of the submitted images to be used if required. The non symmetrical image is the one depicting original drawing.”
All in the Mind Festival 2020
12 Sep, 11:00 – 18:00
Eastrop Park, Eastrop Ln, Basingstoke RG21 4QB, UK
All in the Mind is an annual performing arts festival inspired by mental health.
My short video “Time Table” will be part of the “All in the Mind” Festival 2020.
Link to “All in the Mind” festival website:
https://www.aitmfestival.com/events/all-in-the-mind-festival-2020
Blurb on the site:
“The ONLY outdoor arts festival in the UK dedicated to mental health.
All in the Mind is the leading outdoor mental health arts festival in the UK.
The festival is a free annual one-day event offering a broad range of music, dance, spoken word and theatre set within the water meadows of the River Loddon. This family friendly festival inspires and delights audiences of all ages offering multiple ways to have your mind blown!”
Well, it’s online this year, so a bit different. I’m looking forward to seeing all the contributions to it. It looks good!
Info on my short video “Time Table”
Timetable – Jenny Meehan
“Timetable” by Jenny Meehan 2020 to music by Kevin MacLeod “Screen Saver” (sourced from freepd.com. CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)
Public Domain Dedication)
I made this video at the end of last year before Covid-19, Coronavirus, UK lock down and all that has brought many more people to a situation of working from home.
“As an artist, writer, and home-maker, I manage my time by working in a completely piecemeal, and often spontaneous, way. I integrate my creative practice within my domestic life and utilise the flexibility inherent in this way of life. I used my work space, (AKA kitchen) as the setting for the film “Time Table”.
All my forms of work are mostly unpaid, and it becomes a challenge to maintain a sense of self and a sense of value in our capitalist society which measures value by status and money.
My sense of self was fundamentally challenged during a period of depression between 2008 and 2013, yet my recovery journey, with the support of psychotherapy, transformed the adverse effects of trauma into greater self awareness which I often express through my creative work.
Finding my own story, and a sense of significance within it; finding a knowledge of inner value which is not dependent on comparing circumstances or other peoples perceptions but instead is rooted in healthy self esteem, is the touch stone of this work.
Here’s the video
It’s quite funny now looking at this and seeing the blank pages of the diary. When I created the video I could never have imagined I would actually look through my diary and have blank pages! The diary I used for the video was an old one, but now, with this SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) pandemic and the lockdown, my diary really does look blank! I have even changed from a larger page diary to a much smaller one!
In the video I played with appearances; sometimes you see my writing on the page and other times you don’t, plus the diary has nothing in it (apparently) to reflect the refusal to acknowledge the value of my time and work, both domestic, as a mother/homemaker and also as an artist. The work which takes place in the domestic sphere appears invisible and unrecorded. Yet it’s presence is real, transformative, vital and valuable.
Though I am reacting to the terminology out of it’s context, I was so struck by the term “economically inactive” as used by Priti Patel in February this year, and so shocked that the valuable unpaid work/activities of so many was apparently so dispensable that it could be put aside with such ease, and so little consequence, (plus the massive amount of other reasons people may not be in paid employment), that it made me even gladder that I made the video “Time Table”. It’s been helpful for me personally to recognise that my own struggles with self-esteem are indeed affected by the culture I live in, and there is a very present, yet active onslaught of “money = value” which can be erosive to many people in many different ways.
Lipreaders D/deaf/Hard of Hearing/Hearing Loss/Special Needs
Clear Facemasks, Window Masks, Transparent Masks, See-Through Masks are all useful at this time, yet it is also important that different preferences and needs are met.
Clear Facemasks, Window Masks, Transparent Masks, See-Through Masks are all useful at this time, yet it is also important that different preferences and needs are met. I’ve combined my passion for art and design with an interest in communication needs, face masks, and special needs/disabilities.. plus the need for increasing deaf awareness so vital at this current time where mass masking is a supplementary public health measure to physical distancing.
Link direct to the whole collection here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/shop?artistUserName=jennyjimjams&asc=u&collections=1511687&iaCode=all-departments&sortOrder=relevant
Though I am a fine artist, I do love a dabble in graphic design. And I am always interested in combining different part of my life and experience together. My earlier life, though very different to my life now, is a wonderful part of my story and when I can weave past interests and the motivations which led me there together with my visual art working and writing, then I am one very happy person.
Though not having personal experience of deafness so far in life, I have consulted those who have and sought to take feedback and suggestions when working on the designs. Raising awareness of disabilities which cannot be seen IS something I am passionate about. This is probably to do with my own experience of significant mental health challenges, plus the experience of physical disability prior to my knee replacement which was due to osteoarthritis plus the consequences of a past injury.
Also, communication and improving communication between people is a key aspiration in my life. As a visual artist, the chance to do this through art is very appealing. I sell this work over the print on demand website Redbubble because it’s an excellent way of sharing my work in an accessible way. After various deductions, I get around 25% of the price you pay. It is not huge, true… not as much as I get when I sell an original painting to someone, for example. But it makes a small contribution to my work and I do need funding for it, however small. In order to experiment and innovate freely, I need materials and time. Once I have done the work, putting it up on the site is relatively quick, and as I don’t put my energy into selling or marketing my (mostly fine) art, it provides one, small, avenue of funding. Every little really does help.
You can buy products, including masks, with my designs on here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
deaf_Deaf_reusable_cloth_face_mask_-designer_jennymeehan deaf,Deaf,reusable,cloth,facemask, fabric face mask, face covering, mask, disability awareness, lipreading, lipreader, hard of hearing, non-medical face masks, covid-19, coronavirus, pandemic, designer_jennymeehan ©jenny meehan
You can buy products, including masks, with my designs on here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
Clear Facemasks, Window Masks, Transparent Masks, See-Through Masks are all useful at this time, yet it is also important that different preferences and needs are met.
I have created the design artwork and ideas. Redubble fufil your order but i get an artist’s margin which helps support my fine art. I do need your support in order to sustain my fine art working. I am fully committed to my role as an fine artist in life, but it’s never been a profit making mission! I am glad to possess design skills which I can put to use in this way. This is a useful task and project in the current coronavirus pandemic and I hope so very much that all the work and effort I have put into creating these designs is helpful to many. I believe offering people a plenty of choice in how they navigate this new normal, especially at this time of mass masking as a public health measure, can make communication a little bit easier and potentially really improve deaf awareness and disability awareness long term. There are also many hidden disabilities and special needs which deserve attention, respect and understanding. Mass Masking has the potential to divide people, as we can see already. But it can also create understanding and awareness, kindness and a greater appreciation of other people. It’s up to us to make the right decisions and get optimal results which benefit people.
deaf,Deaf,reusable,cloth,facemask, fabric face mask, face covering, mask, disability awareness, lipreading, lipreader, hard of hearing, non-medical face masks, covid-19, coronavirus, pandemic, designer_jennymeehan ©jenny meehan
You can buy products, including masks, with my designs on here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
deaf,Deaf,reusable,cloth,facemask, fabric face mask, face covering, mask, disability awareness, lipreading, lipreader, hard of hearing, non-medical face masks, covid-19, coronavirus, pandemic, designer_jennymeehan ©jenny meehan
You can buy products, including masks, with my designs on here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
deaf,Deaf,reusable,cloth,facemask, fabric face mask, face covering, mask, disability awareness, lipreading, lipreader, hard of hearing, non-medical face masks, covid-19, coronavirus, pandemic, designer_jennymeehan ©jenny meehan
You can buy products, including masks, with my designs on here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
deaf,Deaf,reusable,cloth,facemask, fabric face mask, face covering, mask, disability awareness, lipreading, lipreader, hard of hearing, non-medical face masks, covid-19, coronavirus, pandemic, designer_jennymeehan ©jenny meehan
You can buy products, including masks, with my designs on here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
deaf,Deaf,reusable,cloth,facemask, fabric face mask, face covering, mask, disability awareness, lipreading, lipreader, hard of hearing, non-medical face masks, covid-19, coronavirus, pandemic, designer_jennymeehan ©jenny meehan
You can buy products, including masks, with my designs on here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
Clear Facemasks, Window Masks, Transparent Masks, See-Through Masks are all useful at this time, yet it is also important that different preferences and needs are met.
I have created the design artwork and ideas. Redubble fufil your order but i get an artist’s margin which helps support my fine art. I do need your support in order to sustain my fine art working. I am fully committed to my role as an fine artist in life, but it’s never been a profit making mission! I am glad to possess design skills which I can put to use in this way. This is a useful task and project in the current coronavirus pandemic and I hope so very much that all the work and effort I have put into creating these designs is helpful to many. I believe offering people a plenty of choice in how they navigate this new normal, especially at this time of mass masking as a public health measure, can make communication a little bit easier and potentially really improve deaf awareness and disability awareness long term. There are also many hidden disabilities and special needs which deserve attention, respect and understanding. Mass Masking has the potential to divide people, as we can see already. But it can also create understanding and awareness, kindness and a greater appreciation of other people. It’s up to us to make the right decisions and get optimal results which benefit people.
deaf,Deaf,reusable,cloth,facemask, fabric face mask, face covering, mask, disability awareness, lipreading, lipreader, hard of hearing, non-medical face masks, covid-19, coronavirus, pandemic, designer_jennymeehan ©jenny meehan
You can buy products, including masks, with my designs on here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
deaf,Deaf,reusable,cloth,facemask, fabric face mask, face covering, mask, disability awareness, lipreading, lipreader, hard of hearing, non-medical face masks, covid-19, coronavirus, pandemic, designer_jennymeehan ©jenny meehan
You can buy products, including masks, with my designs on here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
There are many more new designs… 50 plus! As I am creating a few different ones each week.
deaf,Deaf,reusable,cloth,facemask, fabric face mask, face covering, mask, disability awareness, lipreading, lipreader, hard of hearing, non-medical face masks, covid-19, coronavirus, pandemic, designer_jennymeehan ©jenny meehan
You can buy products, including masks, with my designs on here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
deaf,Deaf,reusable,cloth,facemask, fabric face mask, face covering, mask, disability awareness, lipreading, lipreader, hard of hearing, non-medical face masks, covid-19, coronavirus, pandemic, designer_jennymeehan ©jenny meehan
You can buy products, including masks, with my designs on here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
deaf,Deaf,reusable,cloth,facemask, fabric face mask, face covering, mask, disability awareness, lipreading, lipreader, hard of hearing, non-medical face masks, covid-19, coronavirus, pandemic, designer_jennymeehan ©jenny meehan
You can buy products, including masks, with my designs on here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
Well, that’s all from me for now. Til September posting.
Do you need exciting, engaging, images for a book cover design?
My artwork is particularly suitable for themes of: faith, religion, philosophy, Christian, church, all faith traditions, inter-faith, spirituality, the subconscious, psychoanalytic themes, mindfulness, contemplative practices, healing, health, both physical and mental, trauma recovery, metaphysical and psychological focused writings, the devotional life, and many other subjects.
Indeed, pretty much any subject matter or theme which benefits from a more abstract graphic image; one which also conveys basic feelings and ideas in an open and experimental manner; would benefit from it’s clarity of communication being enhanced by one of my art images.
From the lyrical abstraction of some of abstract expressionist style textured paintings, to the geometric abstraction clear edged imagery, which I also produce, the value of non representational imagery in book cover design which is both colourful and interesting, and stimulates the eye with colour and striking composition, cannot be under estimated.
If you are looking for something particular, do contact me, because I only display a small amount on the internet and may even be able to create something specific to your needs, or be able to locate something from my extensive archives which meets your need.
Contact me in the first instance. Licensing is administrated via the Artist’s Collecting Society, DACS. They propose a fee in line with the industry standard. I can normally be flexible about the fee to a point.
It should be noted that the licence fee is proposed by DACS. Once a clear idea of the exact licence required has been established, and you have been informed of the standard appropriate fee, I sometimes, (subject to circumstances and my level of interest in having my work used in your project), have some room for flexibility about final fees agreed. I am happy to negotiate, and understand that budgets can be restricting. Sometimes an artwork and it’s purpose are literally made for each other. Together we can make it happen!
I do not, however, permit my work to be used for free. This is my work and it takes time and money to create. Please ensue you obtain an appropriate licence, and the correct permission if you wish to use my art images.
Twitter: jennymeehan@jennymeehanart
Instagram!
https://www.instagram.com/jamartlondon_jennymeehan/
https://www.instagram.com/jamartlondon_jennymeehan/
Follow Jenny Meehan! British Contemporary Artist’s Online Art Journal. Artist’s Blog/Art Journal. Posts published every two months.
TO FOLLOW THIS ARTIST’S BLOG SIMPLY GO TO THE RIGHT HAND COLUMN, LOCATE THE “FOLLOW” BOX AND POP IN YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS. YOU WILL THEN RECEIVE MONTHLY UPDATES.
jenny meehan surrey artist london contemporary female artist artists journal artists blog
Who is Jenny Meehan? (Well… I’m still trying to work that one out…)
Jenny Meehan (Jennifer Meehan) is a painter-poet, artist-author and Contemplative (Christian faith tradition) based in East Surrey/South West London. Her interest in Christ-centred spirituality and creativity are the main focus of this artist’s journal, which rambles and meanders on, maybe acting as a personal (yet open to view) note book as much as anything else. Trauma recovery, mental health awareness, and psychotherapy/psychoanalysis are all very interesting. And yes; it’s me writing this. Feels odd… But it’s fun.
jenny meehan london surrey contemporary artist blog
If you would like to give money to help support my creative practice I can accept it quickly and easily through the Paypal.me process. Simply put the following in your browser:
paypal.me/jennymeehan
and follow the prompts. Please consider supporting my work in this way if it strikes a chord with you and you are able to do so. Unfortunately there isn’t a system in this facility for me to send a thank you. But if you do use it, then understand that I am grateful!
I do need financial support.
Another way you could support my participation in the visual arts could be by praying for me, if that’s part of your daily life. I’m a progressive Christian in faith focus, but prayers from any religious tradition are ALL VERY WELCOME! Creativity is a gift from God, and if you believe in a LOVING Creator, and you feel my creativity reflects and connects with your sense of the divine presence expressed in the world, then throw in some prayers for me. I need strength and encouragement in many ways.
Individual or Small Group Daytime Art Tuition with Jenny Meehan
Jenny Meehan (Jennifer Meehan) BA Hons (Lit.) PGCE periodically offers art tuition. Availability depends on other commitments.
I’m a trained teacher (PGCE in Education) and subject to other commitments can sometimes offer individual or small group daytime art tuition. My specialism is abstract painting, however, I can also teach a range of general art and design techniques in a friendly and accessible way. My emphasis is on your finding your own personal direction. Current students include beginners as well as experienced artists.
PS I have stopped this at the current time.
Buy Original Fine Paintings by Jenny Meehan
If you require original fine paintings in the lyrical abstract style, then contact me!
jenny meehan painting lyrical abstract floral promised land/break out painting
Why read “Jenny Meehan – Contemporary Artist’s Journal: The Artist’s Meandering Discourses – poetry – painting – spirituality (mostly!)?
This artist’s blog is of interest to artists, art collectors, art lovers and anyone interested in fine art. Those interested in British 21st century female contemporary artists, women and art, religious art, spirituality and art, and psychoanalysis and art, will probably enjoy dipping into this Jenny Meehan Contemporary Artist’s Journal.
Art collectors are often interested in the processes, techniques, interests and influences of the artists whose work they collect, and sharing my thoughts and perspectives through a blog is an important dimension of my creative practice.
I describe my painting as being romantic,expressionistic, abstract and lyrical. Art collectors interested in lyrical abstraction, abstract expressionist, and essentially romantic art, are likely to find my paintings an interesting and exciting addition to their art collection.
I am a self-representing artist, whose aim is to ensure I continue to develop my painting practice in an innovative and pioneering way, rather than attempt some kind of commercial success, and whose aim is also that my work is historically relevant, rather then celebrated in that so called and illusive “art world”. I hope to add to the number of people who value, collect, and develop an interest in my paintings and to thereby sustain and develop my practice over many years.
Jenny Meehan is an established artist who has been exhibiting for over ten years, mostly in the UK. Notable exhibitions include, most recently being selected for the Imagined Worlds touring exhibition of artworks inspired by the poem ‘Kubla Khan’ and inclusion in “Building Bridges, the Female Perspective” at Tower Bridge Victorian Engine Rooms in 2016. Jenny has been a keen supporter of various charity art exhibitions over the years including the National Brain Appeals ” A Letter in Mind” at Gallery@oxo, South Bank, London and the “Anatomy for Life” Exhibition for Brighton Sussex University Hospitals Trust in 2015
Selected by a wide range of judges in open submission exhibitions, her work appeals to the aesthetic and emotional discernment of many, and has been displayed in many prestigious galleries. These include the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, in 2015, as part of their Open Exhibition, and the Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, West Sussex, as part of the Pallant House Gallery/St Wilfrid’s Hospice Open Art Exhibition in 2010.
Jenny Meehan’s work has been included in several academic projects and and publications including “Speaking Out – Women Recovering from the Trauma of Violence” by Nicole Fayard in 2014 and the ongoing “Recovery” Exhibition project – Institute Of Mental Health/City Arts, Nottingham University, also in 2014. While her romantic, lyrical, expressionistic, abstract paintings offer a contemplative space free from cares and concerns, other strands of her practice engage with subjects ranging from violence, trauma recovery, psychoanalysis, and mental health.
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COPYRIGHT INFORMATION FOR OTHER IMAGES
Permission is always sought before use. When I include images, I do so in the belief that this will not cause commercial harm to the copyright holder. I believe that this is fair use and does not infringe copyright. Images are used in order for me to comment and reference them in relation to my own creative and artistic practice. When I include extracts of text, I also do so with the understanding that again, this is permissible under the widely accepted fair usage terms with respect to copyright.
Outline of my “Fair Use” rationale, which is applicable to all images from other sources which I include on this blog:
There is no alternative, public domain or free-copyrighted replacement image available to my knowledge.
Its inclusion in my blog adds significantly to my narrative because it shows the subject which I want to refer to and relate to my own artistic practice and is necessary in order for me to communicate accurately my observations/critical appraisal/appreciation/educate my readers, in understanding my perspectives on art and life. Inclusion is for information, education and analysis only. The text discussing the significance of the included art work is enhanced by inclusion of the image. The image is a low resolution copy of the original work of such low quality that it will not affect potential sales of the art work.
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Social Media: Jenny Meehan Jenny Meehan – UK based painter-poet artist-author Specialism: Geometric and Lyrical Abstraction Artist Journal: https://jennymeehan.wordpress.com/ Image licensing via DACS Designer and Artists Copyright Society (DACS proposed fees are negotiable contact me in first instance) https://www.youtube.com/user/jennyjimjams https://www.instagram.com/jamartlondon_jennymeehan/ https://twitter.com/jennymeehanart
Copyright Information – Jenny Meehan Copyright in all images by Jenny Meehan is held by the artist. Any persons discovered to be reproducing, copying or using images by Jenny Meehan without prior consent, authorisation or permission will be put on notice that Jenny Meehan is the copyright owner and asked to immediately cease and desist the infringing activity. If a satisfactory response and / or compliance is not forthcoming promptly, the matter will be pursued. For clarification of the laws of copyright, please contact the Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS). www.dacs.org.uk Copyright for all visual art by Jenny Meehan is managed by the Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS) in the UK. If you wish to licence a work of art by Jenny Meehan, please contact Jenny Meehan in the first instance to clarify your requirements. Licencing an image is quick and easy for both parties and is organised through the Design and Artist Copyright Society. It can be done online through their request form: https://dacs.secure.force.com/enquiry/ For an overview on image licensing on the DACS website, look here. https://www.dacs.org.uk/licensing-works Please NOTE: the “Quote” suggested is a proposed fee in line with the industry standard. While I do stick broadly to the industry standard with respect to fees, I appreciate the need to stick to a budget in publishing, and the quote is a proposed amount. I normally have some flexibility!
DACS will automatically propose a licensing fee in line with the industry standard. However, please note, this is a negotiable fee. I am happy to be flexible about the initial fee proposed, and it’s not a problem if the initially proposed fee is outside your budget. Administration of the licensing process is facilitated through DACS, who liaise between us with respect to the exact fee agreed. Depending on circumstances and the nature of your project, I can offer fee reductions for a certain percentage of licensing arrangements. If you use their online form and attach the low resolution image of my artwork which you have found on the internet, they will know which image you seek permission for. You can also contact me directly in the first instance if you wish to, of course. Any arrangements will need to be made through the Designer and Artists’ Copyright Society, but I can often offer the opportunity to alter images, for example, putting in different aspect ratios or colourways, so it’s really helpful to communicate with designers and clients first with respect to the actual image required. So, feel free to contact me if you are looking for a particular type of artwork image, as I have a large archive of images. I will also be able to let you know the maximum size the digital image is available at. If you then wish to licence the artwork image, you would then contact the Design and Artist Copyright Society to arrange the licencing agreement according to your requirements. Once paid and agreed, I then supply the high resolution image directly to you. Sample Price Guide for book cover image: £350, as below:
For this kind of use:
Distribution: Worldwide all languages
Print run: 5,000 printed copies plus 500 e-books
Proposed licensing fee: £270 +vat
This was below the proposed licencing fee initially suggested to the client by DACS, which was (in that year) £382 +vat, but I had a personal interest in the project therefore was happy to reduce the fee accordingly.
I request three complimentary copies of the book for myself, but I make no fee for the supply of the image.
My images can be licensed for use easily and quickly. DACS have price lists on their website for different types of use, which should be used only a guide for a proposed fee. It’s a starting point. I can normally be flexible.
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Screenshots of some Recent Galaxies!
Each Galaxy started with a bucket of Keim Mineral Paint! I then took the initial image and worked my magic digitally!
Buy the “Keim Galaxies” as printed products on the print-on-demand website “Redbubble.com”
Yes, I am gradually putting up the rather large series of work on my Artist’s page on Redbubble! It takes some time so they are not all up there. I am basically adding them at the same time as I have Skype meetings with my fellow artists at Kingston Artists’ Open Studios each week. We cannot meet in person, but Skype is just fine, with the added advantage of being able to work on the computer, or whatever we are currently working on at the same time!
This is my WordPress Artist’s Journal, so I am going to ramble on on my usual meandering course for the rest of this post. If you would like to see the beautiful “Keim Galaxies” I put most of them up in a previous post, so either skim down to that, or follow the link to my Artist’s Page on Redubble.com where I have posted some of them already!
Here is the link to the “Explore” designs section at Redbubble.com. It displays the image as a simple, flat, square, as the example below. When you find a design you like and want to see products in the shop, there’s another link to follow! Then another whole world opens. Maybe quite a useful one at the moment, with the shops being in the situation they are in. There is stationery, soft furnishings, wall art, greetings cards, prints, posters, home furnishings, accessories, and much more.
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
“Kind of Colossal” ©Jenny Meehan
Note: images are low resolution and don’t reflect full sized image quality.
Deaf, deaf, Hard of Hearing, Lipreaders, + Face Masks
and Matching Accessories, including Bags, Notebooks, Badges and Clothing!
Featured Collection for 2020 due to Corona Virus Pandemic are over 50 Inclusive Designs by Jenny Meehan
Link direct to the whole collection here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/shop?artistUserName=jennyjimjams&asc=u&collections=1511687&iaCode=all-departments&sortOrder=relevant
I have been very busy designing many options for reusable face masks! Inspired by a past career as a Dental Nurse, in which I wore a surgical face mask every working day, the mask topic has always been on my interest radar, and was right back in March 2020. I do wish we were wearing them indoors in public spaces earlier in greater numbers, but, well, we are finally here in face mask time.
This is not very good for communications though…particularly for those who are Deaf, deaf, Hard of Hearing or have special needs which mean they really do need to see your face when talking. There are many, many ways you can help make things easier, and the most important thing is to be kind and understanding. Ask the person you are talking to what you can do to help, and what they prefer. Everyone is very different. Some people are comfortable with you lowering your mask at distance, others may not be. There are speech to text apps, pen and paper, good lighting, reduction of background noise, making sure you face the person directly, re phrase and repeat if necessary. These are just a few suggestions.
Thoughts on Clear Facemasks, See-Through Masks, Window Masks for Deaf/deaf Hard of Hearing + Lipreading
Clear Facemasks, See-Through Masks, Window Masks are very popular, but may not suit every persons needs or preferences. I feel the more choice people have the better, and so I hope my designs can be a useful resource for many Deaf/deaf hard of hearing folk, especially for those routine tasks like shopping, etc where most of the communications will be with hearing folk. While many people lipread, its one mode of communication and lack of awareness and knowledge mean even if a deaf person is wearing a clear mask, window mask, or see-through mask, the hearing person may assume that seeing their lips alone will suffice, whereas this is not always the case at all.
A deaf/Deaf person wearing a deaf mask with a transparent front may still want someone to write something down for clarification, or prefer to use AI… There are many wonderful speech to texts Apps available. Or to write something down may be preferable. So while it is wonderful, very wonderful, that deaf/Deaf and Hard of Hearing people can access the range of deaf masks sometimes called “Smile Masks”, I also feel it’s vital to recognise that there is a huge range of needs and preferences, and that different situations mean that there are also other options available which can help to aid communication and also deaf awareness/disability awareness. People vary greatly and with a better and increased awareness of the everyday difficulties in communication as a result of mass masking as a public health measure, it is possible for hearing people to become more informed, aware and educated as to the many things which a deaf/Deaf or Hard of Hearing person may prefer them to do. To see lips and face can also be achieved by the other person removing their face covering. In many situations this is very appropriate and can be one at distance as long as lighting is good and the deaf person can “see to hear”.
Here are some of my designs, but I create a few each week, so do take a look at my redbubble portfolio for more!
deaf,Deaf,reusable,cloth,facemask, fabric face mask, face covering, mask, disability awareness, lipreading, lipreader, hard of hearing, non-medical face masks, covid-19, coronavirus, pandemic, designer_jennymeehan ©jenny meehan
deaf,Deaf,reusable,cloth,facemask, fabric face mask, face covering, mask, disability awareness, lipreading, lipreader, hard of hearing, non-medical face masks, covid-19, coronavirus, pandemic, designer_jennymeehan ©jenny meehan
deaf,Deaf,reusable,cloth,facemask, fabric face mask, face covering, mask, disability awareness, lipreading, lipreader, hard of hearing, non-medical face masks, covid-19, coronavirus, pandemic, designer_jennymeehan ©jenny meehan
I have made the text very bold and big, so that the words can be read clearly at distance. I am creating some more designs at the moment with slightly less bold text too, and also creating slogan masks for special needs. There are pin badges and other products available with most of the designs on. I am open to any suggestions as to options which may be helpful to people. Feel free to contact me with suggestions. I have consulted with several people who are deaf/Deaf Hard of Hearing and who have experience of Hearing Loss to try and get a good picture of a range of experiences and preferences. I hope it helps.
jenny meehan surrey artist london contemporary female artist
About Jenny Meehan
I’m a British fine and applied artist, painter and poet creating original exciting artwork.
This artwork is an evolution of the beautiful mineral pigments used in Keim Mineral paints and part of an extensive portfolio of lyrically abstract/geometric abstract designs created from my love of painting, colour, and a focus on the environment through raising awareness that we have a choice to use alternatives to film forming synthetic paint.
This strand of my work allows me to offer accessible and affordable art to a wide range of people. My original fine paintings are also available to by, contact me on Instagram via link in bio or through my Artist’s Journal:
https://jennymeehan.wordpress.com/jenny-meehan-jennifer-meehan-how-to-contact-me
All art ©Jenny Meehan image licensing via DACS only but initial proposed fee often negotiable.
……
..You can buy my work as prints, posters, soft furnishings, stationery, cloth face masks, bedding, accessories, bags, headscarves, wall hangings, clothing, designer clothing, plus more… on redbubble.com.
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
(video doesn’t seem to work on my phone…sorry! looking into why!)
“Timetable” by Jenny Meehan 2020 to music by Kevin MacLeod “Screen Saver” (sourced from freepd.com. CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)
Public Domain Dedication)
I made this video a while back, before the Covid-19, Coronavirus, UK lock down and all that has brought many more people to a situation of working from home. It seems odd looking at it now!
The video was made last year, in 2019. At the end of last year I was experimenting with making short video clips, just for a change. My very short piece “Time Table” was selected for screening at an event in Manchester. Info below:
screening shown on 3rd December 2019 at STRETCH – Reel Time event. Held at Mirabel Studios 14 -20 Mirabel Street Manchester M31PJ
My statement:
“As an artist, writer, and home-maker, I manage my time by working in a completely piecemeal, and often spontaneous, way. I integrate my creative practice within my domestic life and utilise the flexibility inherent in this way of life. I used my work space, (AKA kitchen) as the setting for the film “Time Table”. I often produce work on my kitchen table is the object in the room which best represents the interrelationship between my artistic work and the other work I’m involved in.
Both forms of work are mostly unpaid, and it becomes a challenge to maintain a sense of self and a sense of value in our capitalist society which measures value by status and money.
The planner in the film has blank pages but rapid movement, because in both dimensions of my work sphere; the domestic and the artistic; I’m extremely busy. However, I find the reality of my work is non existent in many people’s perceptions; it’s blank; because they do not recognise what I do as being work. In our culture activities which take place in the domestic sphere are often side-lined and artistic creation is at risk as being thought as being a “free time” pursuit. I frequently get asked “What do you do all day?”
In reality, “work” reflects more to purpose and perception, than a context.
Like the table, the water in the film is a crossover subject too; from the water in the kettle (tea for a break time), the repetition and rhythm of a dripping tap (associated with labour and maybe monotony) and the water of a swimming pool (swimming being a “free time” activity for me). The pool is also a place for reflection: interestingly contemplative space for an artist swiftly re-orientates itself into a place of purpose for a reflective art practitioner.”
Made in the Pre-Covid 19 era…!!! Since making it, a HUGE number of people previously working in buildings which are not their domestic setting, currently work from home. It’s so odd looking back at this video I made now!
I hope that one of the outcomes of this challenging time is that the work of those so-called “economically inactive” (mainly women, and anyone involved in various unpaid caring activities) has a stronger sense of presence in our awareness of work activities, and even in the way we think about what makes us valuable human beings. The equation of money and status with worth is being shaken at the roots right now.
I’m so glad we have drawn our attention to appreciating the caring profession. And let’s remember, that “professions” are not professions due to the amount of money someone earns, but are an expression of a person’s values, investment, and focus. So many activities, not formally recognised as “professions”, though low paid, unpaid, and regardless of relative status in society, are ALL work, all valuable, and all vital to a healthy society.
Sculpture at Morley College
I find working with three dimensions very interesting and it makes a nice change from working on paintings, drawings, and prints. I was pleased to have my sculpture “Articulation” accepted for exhibition at this year’s MADE at Menier Gallery. It’s an exhibition for students at Morley College. HOWEVER… then this email arrived… Not a surprise in the current Coronavirus Pandemic!
Dear all,
Due to the escalation of the Coronavirus pandemic in the UK, we regret to inform you that we have made the very difficult decision to postpone this year’s Made exhibition at Menier Gallery. We are very sorry about this, but there is nothing else we can do. In this unusual situation it is also hard to say when Made will happen, but we hope that we will be able to host it in a brand new Morley Gallery next year.
We appreciate the effort you have made to create all this lovely artwork and hope the effects of the Coronavirus are minimal for you and your loved ones.
More information about this will follow shortly.
Not a surprise.
Indeed, though signed up for a six week term, in the end I only attended two sessions of the course in the second half of the Spring Term. Morley College is based in Southwark, which was at that time the London Borough with the second highest number of confirmed cases of Covid 19. As I watched the figures rise – from 8 in Southwark on the 10th March and then 28 confirmed cases of Covid 19 on the 16th March – I grew uncomfortable with travelling to Southwark on the train. The journey there wasn’t too bad, but on the way back on the jam packed train… It was obviously a bad idea to continue. The last time I went up to London was 10th March, and then on the way home in the rush hour I wore a specially made scarf… made by myself! It was lightweight woven fabric with a couple of layers of polypropylene folded inside it. Perfect! Polypropylene is actually the main component in the manufacture of surgical face masks. I really didn’t want to buy myself a surgical face mask… Feeling they should be kept for the settings for which they were designed. However, I felt very strongly that people travelling in crowded trains should be wearing face coverings of some shape or form. At that time, no one, well, hardly anyone, was wearing face masks or face coverings. But I felt so much better for doing so.
I wrote and researched quite a lot on the subject. I used to be a Dental Nurse many years back and wore surgical face masks all day every working day. We never used them as any more than a hygiene measure. It was never a defensive, “protect me from this or that” kind of thing to do. They were not respirator masks, of course. They were there to stop big droplets from the dental procedures and also to stop our breathing from the kind of merging of air which happens when you work very close to patients. So this past experience informed my decision to cover my face so early on in certain settings. I also did a bit of research, and while just one example, reading the research below got me thinking that it was better to err on the side of caution. Though the Covid 19 is not Influenza A, it is certainly highly infectious and if Influenza A has a way of spreading in very tiny particles (smaller than droplet infection, rather airborne).
Interestingly Scientists have disagreed for years on how exactly Influenza is spread; some saying that its airborne, and others that its only the larger droplets, and nothing smaller. I know which camp I am in. Yes, we don’t know about Covid 19. Specifically. However, it seems unwise in the midst of a global pandemic to insist on waiting for the numerous experiments with the specific virus in question to be carried out when such a simple, practical and easy to implement action by members of the public can at least be one small factor in reducing transmission of Covid 19. Its never been a “protect me from the virus” mentality for me. It’s been; this is a virus which has a huge range of symptoms, (or people asymptomatic) and basically its really hard to say for the most part if you have it, or have had it. There’s lots of corona-virus’ and probably many co infections happening right now. So the best mindset is to behave as if you have it, and you carry it with you. Though you don’t know, it matters not. What matters is that when you are indoors in busy crowded places (not that we have any at this point in time!) where your exhaled breath will be mixing with the exhaled breath of others, it seem logical to do what you can to avoid sharing.
I am so relieved we have the social distancing in place now. Shopping in supermarkets, especially all the panic buying which went on earlier on, was surely one of the rampant and successful ways of spreading Covid 19 around, and I think we may look back and ask ourselves why we didn’t stop that earlier. I used to wear a loop scarf or snood for shopping way back in Mid March. Still do now. No reason not to. I think there is a strand of thought which goes along the line of MASKS = FEAR. This is a shame. However, I can see that for some people the idea of a virus being airborne could be something which caused paranoia. Shame really, as it’s not a new idea but maybe in the light of the current situation that might seem unsurprising. I think the research which I share below was immensely helpful to me, with the proviso of course that it was carried out in an artificial setting and also with a more familiar virus. However, influenza’s of any kind are very serious and the cause of huge numbers of deaths each year. The novel coronavirus (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), was previously referred to by its provisional name 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is proving to be illusive and tricky to pin down. It’s very nature is unpredictable. We will need to get used to the uncertainty and as we accept it and its consequences, doing something simple like covering our faces may make a small contribution to helping reduce and slow the spread. Any small contribution is worth while, and gives us more time. It is going to take a LONG time. I’m sure of that.
So with the following research, I think the key points are it’s prolonged face to face which is the mainstay of the awareness regarding spread. The percentage is high in the experiment. It logically would be less in a real life situation. And this is only one factor in spread. One factor among many. Dose and duration all make big differences. Something like this is helpful for increasing awareness and doesn’t need to result in paranoia, or in people ignoring the other methods of transmission. Just the same as wearing a face covering doesn’t mean suddenly people are going to touch their faces more, not bother with other methods of reducing transmission, and become complacent!
Ah, I have meandered.
Where was I? Morley College.
Yes, the exhibition cancelled, and then later this email:
“We are pleased to announce that we will present your work in a first-ever online MADE exhibition in May 2020!
As you already know, Morley has taken the difficult decision to cancel MADE at Menier Gallery (previously scheduled for 29 April – 7 May 2020). Although the physical show has been postponed, we are excited to inform you that we will present the exhibition digitally and we are currently working on a new Instagram account for MADE 2020 (@MadeAtMorley) that will feature all the selected works of art for each of the four disciplines involved – please, start following!
MADE 2020 ONLINE: The Instagram exhibition will feature your objects as well as interviews and films of production behind the scene. This is a great opportunity to show the hard work that you have been undertaking in this period and to offer viewers the chance to see your superb work online and get to know your art better. All the selected works will also be shown in the new Gallery website and will remain accessible in the future. We aim to launch the online exhibition on May 11th, 2020.
-> Please, note: Morley Gallery is expected to reopen in March 2021 and we hope to host the exhibition there as well in March/April 2021.
INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT The new Instagram account @MadeAtMorley is now live. Please start following now!
HASHTAGS
#MorleyGallery
#Morley_College
#Made2020
Well, that will be one way of seeing the work. I am looking forward to it.
Here is the selected work “Articulation”. Also the accompanying text. Like a lot of my work, it was started some time ago, and then I have reflected and reviewed, refined and developed it. I value the process and value contemplation. A contemplative practice is the backbone to any art works I produce. I don’t stick to a time schedule, unless I am producing something which is a commission for someone else. It’s finished now, and I am very happy with it.
articulation sculpture, jenny meehan, wire and paper sculpture, psychotherapy, art therapy, subconscious, healing art, trauma recovery, british artist, ©jenny meehan
articulation sculpture, jenny meehan, wire and paper sculpture, psychotherapy, art therapy, subconscious, healing art, trauma recovery, british artist, ©jenny meehan
articulation sculpture, jenny meehan, wire and paper sculpture, psychotherapy, art therapy, subconscious, healing art, trauma recovery, british artist, ©jenny meehan
Above; Various images taken during the process of making “Articulation”.
Below; Information/text submitted to the Morley Online exhibition.
“Articulation” What is it?
So here is a bit more about this work, which I have been working on for several years. I believe its a great mistake to rush a piece of artwork. They have their own timing, and something like this will be taken out, worked on for a while, and then put away again. The process continues. The work is not just the artefact; it is the thinking and feeling it represents. It needs to evolve. Like all my work, it comes into being in a piecemeal fashion, bit by bit. I like the way that the form of this work reflects this. It’s a very accurate expression of my working process, which I like very much for that very reason. For this reason, I would call this a signature piece. It includes a poem which can be read if you look closely around the rim.
Untitled
Words are power;
this is why
I stumble and trip.
I try to find them.
For mine are hiding;
cowardly.
They left me helpless;
stuck themselves all over a tree –
becoming harder -soft tissue
into paper
Then,
as you see…
A wooden bark
which
soundless sits
in its own
quiet
dignity.
To find your voice as a person sounds easy, but it’s one of the hardest things in life. Maybe for me, with a lot of childhood trauma and adversity, those formative experiences make “articulation” more a a challenge? I’m not sure, but I do know that in my second half of life, I have needed to do a lot of personal work through ongoing psychotherapy. This has proved transformative, and vital in locating a stronger sense of myself, and in finding my voice. As an artist and creative, this “Articulation” expresses the heart of why I work with materials in the way that I do. It’s part of a regeneration and growth; An expansion and exploration.
On the materials and making dimension of “Articulation”
Process
I took some digital photographs of trees/branches in my garden. Photocopies of these were used as the final layer of papier-mâché. They were the beginning, and end of this process led, instinctive piece.
The galvanised steel wire framework took off nicely. I wanted a sense of control/structure but also spontaneity. Playful rings in the centre invite a childlike exploration. I included suggestions of fluidity/water flow in the outer form using parallel areas of curved wire. I wanted activity and life suggested in what was gradually emerging as a tree stump type form.
The paper parts skim around the form, almost as if being blown by wind; a metaphor for the Holy Spirit of God. My acknowledgement of a life giving, creative, divine influence; inspiration; is key.
The negative spaces and shapes are there to unify the sculpture as a whole; they let you into its structure and in doing that, present a sense of unity to the superficial brokenness. The newspaper and photocopied paper “bark” was sprayed brown paint, then varnished. In one section there is an inner and outer wire wall which have separated from each other. The inner energy of the trunk is pushing the old bark away.
My experience of psychotherapy is integral to my creative output.
Deaf, deaf, Hard of Hearing, Lipreaders, + Face Masks
and Matching Accessories, including Bags, Notebooks, Badges and Clothing!
Featured Collection for 2020 due to Corona Virus Pandemic are over Inclusive Designs by Jenny Meehan
Link direct to the whole collection here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/shop?artistUserName=jennyjimjams&asc=u&collections=1511687&iaCode=all-departments&sortOrder=relevant
Clear Facemasks, Window Masks, Transparent Masks, See-Through Masks are all useful at this time, yet it is also important that different preferences and needs are met.
I have created the design artwork and ideas. Redubble fufil your order but I get an artist’s margin which helps support my fine art. I do need your support in order to sustain my fine art working. I am fully committed to my role as an fine artist in life, but it’s never been a profit making mission! I am glad to possess design skills which I can put to use in this way. This is a useful task and project in the current coronavirus pandemic and I hope so very much that all the work and effort I have put into creating these designs is helpful to many. I believe offering people a plenty of choice in how they navigate this new normal, especially at this time of mass masking as a public health measure, can make communication a little bit easier and potentially really improve deaf awareness and disability awareness long term. There are also many hidden disabilities and special needs which deserve attention, respect and understanding. Mass Masking has the potential to divide people, as we can see already. But it can also create understanding and awareness, kindness and a greater appreciation of other people. It’s up to us to make the right decisions and get optimal results which benefit people.
“Keim Galaxies” Available to Buy on Redbubble.com
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
jenny meehan london surrey contemporary artist blog
Jenny Meehan: How to buy my art/design online safely, easily, and affordably.
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
This is my main portfolio on redbubble.com. My focus isn’t on selling online, but accessible and affordable art prints enable people to own and view selected examples of my work and its a great way to share it.
Follow the links to take a peek, or simply put in your browser the words redbubble jennyjimjams (skip the main site advert) , and pages from my profile will come up. Scroll down any page until you get to “View Jenny Meehan’s shop” if you want to look at a range of products they offer with my designs on. Or there’s another option to “shop” called “explore”. (More on navigating the redbubble.com site below)
There are thousands of artists work up on redbubble.com! All with their own “shop” and profile. If you want to buy prints and merchandise from redbubble.com with my work on, ensure you have found the right shopfront. It should be showing on a page with my profile image on.
There is only a limited selection of work I’ve posted on redbubble.com. It’s a “print on demand” site. If you purchase something with my art/design on it, I get a royalty payment while redbubble.com manufacture the product or print.
Any art prints are unsigned. It’s an excellent way for me to make my work more affordable and available. And easy to buy.
Navigating the redbubble.com website to locate art/design by Jenny Meehan
Navigating the site can be a bit confusing, and it’s easy to end up looking at work by other artists, rather than just mine, because of the way the website is organised. If you specifically want to purchase products and prints with my art/design on, the following might help you.
Link to the SHOP section is:
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/shop
The SHOP section shows my work on different products. When you start clicking around it also offers an option “See Similar Designs” but this will show designs by ALL artists on redbubble.com which are similar. I mention because this can be confusing. If you just want to see additional designs by me on the shop section, then you need to make sure you scroll down to my profile picture and name and look there. It’s further down.
Link to the EXPLORE section is
https://www.redbubble.com/people/jennyjimjams/explore
The EXPLORE section is the best section to navigate to if you want to take a quick look at the whole range of designs I have in my redbubble.com portfolio. It just shows the designs as a flat image. When you locate one you like you can then select to see it on various products. It’s a better way of navigating to my work, as less confusing.
Something you want me to put up on redbubble.com, but I haven’t put it up yet?
I am able to locate the artwork from my extensive digital archive and put it up on redbubble.com within 3 days. Once it’s up there, you purchase the print or product online and your order is fulfilled by redbubble.com
However. If you require a signed art print, or redbubble.com do not offer the substrate or format you need, this is a better option for you.
Interior designers looking for specific formats and substrates for large scale artwork for corporate, office and business environments or other public spaces may wish to contact me directly for custom made, large scale, interior wall art, prints, etc. Enquiries most welcome.
Geometric Abstraction/Geometric Patterns/Repeating Patterns and Surface Design Focus
I have an additional redbubble.com profile with only geometric patterned designs:
https://www.redbubble.com/people/JennyMeehan/explore
Which “Keim Galaxies” have I put up on Redbubble.com so far?
Here are some images of the “Keim Galaxies” up at the present time. I will be adding to them, of course.
jenny meehan british contemporary artist ©jenny meehan “keim galaxies” geometric and lyrical abstract digital prints, jennyjimjams redbubble.com prints, jenny meehan art design on redbubble.com,
jenny meehan british contemporary artist ©jenny meehan “keim galaxies” geometric and lyrical abstract digital prints, jennyjimjams redbubble.com prints, jenny meehan art design on redbubble.com,
jenny meehan british contemporary artist ©jenny meehan “keim galaxies” geometric and lyrical abstract digital prints, jennyjimjams redbubble.com prints, jenny meehan art design on redbubble.com,
jenny meehan british contemporary artist ©jenny meehan “keim galaxies” geometric and lyrical abstract digital prints, jennyjimjams redbubble.com prints, jenny meehan art design on redbubble.com,
Images are low resolution on the internet. On Redbubble.com it’s possible to have them printed on prints and furnishing, and many different types of merchandise at a very large scale. This is perfect for interior designers, for both domestic and home settings and is quick, safe, and affordable.
Note: The edges where colours meet are diffused, giving a gentle, organic feel when viewed at very close range. This softening is deliberate, and not a printing fault. The combination of flat solid colours and softened edges on printed substrate is part of my aesthetic and characteristic of all of my flat colour designs.
Jenny Meehan Contemporary Fine Artist Original Fine Art Paintings for Sale
If you prefer to buy affordable, original paintings, directly from me, I have plenty available and do please contact me letting me know what you are looking for.
The majority of my original fine art paintings can be described as following the style of abstract expressionism and lyrical abstraction. I paint in either oils or acrylics mostly.
A rough price guide for my original fine paintings is between £200 and £800 if purchased directly from me. When you buy a painting or any art work from a gallery setting, there is normally a commission of between 30% and 50% added to the price due to gallery costs and the purchase being made through a business. I am not formally represented by any one gallery at the current time.
I regularly exhibits my art working (paintings, prints, and poetry) in the United Kingdom. This is normally as a result of being selected in Open Submission Artist’s Call Outs. My work has been exhibited in many notable galleries, including Pallant House Gallery, Dulwich Picture Gallery, Stanley Picker Gallery, and Kingston Museum Gallery. My work is featured/included in many publications, University and Hospital projects/settings.
Kingston Artists’ Open Studios 2020 Cancelled!
Yes, another cancelled exhibition. Here are some images from last year to look at instead!
kingston artists open studios 2019 jenny meehan artist designer artists open studios events in surrey, artists open studios london, outer london artists studios, lyrical abstractions, geometric abstraction, fine paintings, prints,
kingston artists open studios , jenny meehan artist designer art gallery, art work, art exhibition, surrey artists, surrey artists studios, jenny meehan british contemporary artist ©jenny meehan
“With great reluctance we have decided to cancel #OpenStudios 2020 because of the #coronavirus situation. We will be back as soon as we can. In the meantime do look at our website & links to our artists’ websites. Do support them by ordering online!”
http://kingstonartistsopenstudios.co.uk
The Garden Gate Oil Painting by Jenny Meehan
the garden gate oil painting by Jenny jenny meehan british contemporary artist©jenny meehan
This is an early painting of mine when I was first experimenting with representational painting. I’ve picked this to share because of the “Staying at Home” message we are all hearing. The painting is my neighbours front garden. The tree isn’t there anymore, as it was sadly cut down. The pathway leading to the shut gate evokes some kind of memory for me from my childhood. You shut gates in gardens to stop children from wandering out, in to possible danger. The paintings has shade, on the right hand side, from the walls of the house, and also sunlight which catches the bushes on the left. Young flowering plants grow in the shade, enjoying the protection of the wall from the early morning frosts no doubt. The strong branches of the tree outside the garden are quite a contrast.
I am finding great enjoyment from my garden at this challenging time, and it is certainly therapeutic! A good way of relaxing. Nature is very comforting at times. I said to myself recently, as I looked at my small tomato plant growing “As long as the plants keep growing, we are OK!”.
jenny meehan Kalo Kaleidoscope art design geometric abstract surface pattern on redbubble to buy affordable british contemporary artist©jenny meehan
jenny meehan jamartlondon Kalo Kaleidoscope art design geometric abstract surface pattern on redbubble to buy affordable british contemporary artist©jenny meehan
The Art of Caring
Well, ANOTHER cancelled exhibition. Which has become an online exhibition for the time being.
“Introduction to “The Art of Caring” Online Exhibition
“We are delighted to participate in the Art of Caring 2020 exhibition, the year which the World Health Organisation designated as the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife and the bicentennial year of Florence Nightingale’s birth. Any year would have been timely to celebrate the attributes of our highly skilled, multi faceted professions, which make up the largest proportion of the NHS workforce. But with the world facing a global pandemic, it is apposite that in this, of all years, we pay tribute to the contribution and sacrifice made by our colleagues worldwide and offer them our sincere thanks and gratitude.
The theme for this year’s exhibition, ‘Ingredients for a healthy life’ takes on new meaning and poignancy in such unprecedented times. Many images in our exhibition reflect this, appreciating the gifts of comfort and kindness which bind us together. We are indebted to our Artist In Residence, Alban Low in organising our first ever ‘Virtual’ exhibition and hope you enjoy it as much as we have.
Keep safe (and wash your hands),
Prof Karen Norman (On behalf of the School of Nursing, Kingston University and St George’s, University of London).
Karen Norman is Non Executive Director, Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Visiting Professor, Business School, University of Hertfordshire
This exhibition is supported by the School of Nursing, Kingston University and St George’s, University of London. Thank you to the arts team at St George’s Hospital and our long term artist partners The Arts Project (Peter Herbert/Marius Els) at St Pancras Hospital.”
“The Art of Caring” Online Exhibition will be running over May 2020. Each day there will be the work of four artists on the Art of Caring blog/website, and on some social media platforms too. Here is the rundown!
Zoe Douglas-Cain 13/05/2020
eating greens for art of caring ©jenny meehan print for http://collectconnect.blogspot.com/ and art of caring online exhibition
jamartlondon_jennymeehan
Kingston Museum Exhibition
One of my prints has been shortlisted for this art exhibition at Kingston Museum. Another one which will have to wait, at this Covid 19 Time we inhibit. No online exhibition happening for this one. It will be titled: Climate KAOS: Kingston Artists Open Studios present works about climate change. Was due to happen in June.
About Jenny Meehan
Jenny Meehan – UK based painter-poet artist-author
Specialism: Geometric and Lyrical Abstraction
Artist Journal: https://jennymeehan.wordpress.com/
Image licensing via DACS Designer and Artists Copyright Society (DACS proposed fees are negotiable contact me in first instance)
https://www.youtube.com/user/jennyjimjams
https://www.instagram.com/jamartlondon_jennymeehan/
Copyright Information – Jenny Meehan
©jenny meehan
Copyright in all images by Jenny Meehan is held by the artist.
Any persons discovered to be reproducing, copying or using images by Jenny Meehan without prior consent, authorisation or permission will be put on notice that Jenny Meehan is the copyright owner and asked to immediately cease and desist the infringing activity. If a satisfactory response and / or compliance is not forthcoming promptly, the matter will be pursued. For clarification of the laws of copyright, please contact the Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS). http://www.dacs.org.uk
Copyright for all visual art by Jenny Meehan is managed by the Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS) in the UK. If you wish to licence a work of art by Jenny Meehan, please contact Jenny Meehan in the first instance to clarify your requirements.
Licencing an image is quick and easy for both parties and is organised through the Design and Artist Copyright Society. It can be done online through their request form:
https://dacs.secure.force.com/enquiry/
For an overview on image licensing on the DACS website, look here.
https://www.dacs.org.uk/licensing-works
Please NOTE: the “Quote” suggested is a proposed fee in line with the industry standard. While I do stick broadly to the industry standard with respect to fees, I appreciate the need to stick to a budget in publishing, and the quote is a proposed amount. I normally have some flexibility!
DACS will automatically propose a licensing fee in line with the industry standard. However, please note, this is a negotiable fee. I am happy to be flexible about the initial fee proposed, and it’s not a problem if the initially proposed fee is outside your budget. Administration of the licensing process is facilitated through DACS, who liaise between us with respect to the exact fee agreed. Depending on circumstances and the nature of your project, I can offer fee reductions for a certain percentage of licensing arrangements.
If you use their online form and attach the low resolution image of my artwork which you have found on the internet, they will know which image you seek permission for. You can also contact me directly in the first instance if you wish to, of course. Any arrangements will need to be made through the Designer and Artists’ Copyright Society, but I can often offer the opportunity to alter images, for example, putting in different aspect ratios or colourways, so it’s really helpful to communicate with designers and clients first with respect to the actual image required.
So, feel free to contact me if you are looking for a particular type of artwork image, as I have a large archive of images. I will also be able to let you know the maximum size the digital image is available at. If you then wish to licence the artwork image, you would then contact the Design and Artist Copyright Society to arrange the licencing agreement according to your requirements. Once paid and agreed, I then supply the high resolution image directly to you.
Jenny Meehan - Contemporary Artist's Journal