Jennifer Bartlett

Jennifer Bartlett Detail from Rhapsody 1975-76
enamel on steel, 987 plates, each plate 12 x 12 inches,
overall approximately 7' 6" x 153 feet
© 2006 Jennifer Bartlett

Cause to reflect on an early influence... just came across pics of the spectacular home artist Jennifer Bartlett recently bought . Of course the house pics are fun to browse but my wandering mind quickly moved back in time to when I discovered and fell for her work. It had to be the grids that she manipulated... I've certainly never felt particularly drawn to her painting style(s) or subjects (which have varied widely over the years.) Best quick view of her work is via Google Image Search. Interesting to note that she is just two years younger than I... always though of her as being perpetually young. Oh well, aren't we all? Judging from the recent house purchase, she's doing quite well.

It was 1989 and my New Orleans artist buddy and I were stalking our artistic futures. NOMA put on a magnificent show of outstanding women artists called "Making Their Mark" which introduced us to Bartlett as well as a number of other new favorite women artists (we soaked up that show... talked of nothing else for weeks!) My book/catalog became a file of sorts for tear sheets from art mags re any of the artists we felt attracted to and wanted to learn more about. I must dust off that book... take a walk back to a time when I was working hard to discover who I was and where I fit in, in regard to these women artists. Still wondering, but not working nearly so hard these days...