Art & Life with Jennifer Hollack Raboin

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oday we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Hollack Raboin.

Jennifer, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I have a Bachelor’s degree from Univ of Arizona in Architecture. I had taken some watercolor and photography classes throughout college and always enjoyed the hands on activities of my college major such as model building and presentation drawings. When I graduated from college CAD (computer aided drafting) was just starting to be a desired skill. The idea of sitting behind a computer all day did not excite or motivate me at all. When looking for my first job after college, I found an ad for a water colorist in the paper and decide to apply. I was hired by Phoenix Art Group and worked there for 27 years as an artist and art director working with hundreds of artist over the years. The owners of PAG retired in early 2018 and closed the business. I am now the proud new business owner of JHR ART in Phoenix. I work in many mediums including canvas, paper, wood, metal, plexiglass and glass and most of the time I am combining many of these mediums together.

I am especially interested in the 3-dimensional works since they allow me to utilize my architectural skills, but on a much quicker timeline. Instead of waiting years for a building to be built, I can create dimensional wall, tabletop and floor sculptures in weeks not years. As an artist, being creative is a daily function. It’s much more fun and gratifying to see what you can achieve each day as you experiment and develop your skills, Each day is a new adventure in exploration of techniques, talent and ideas.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I have had the ability to work with many different creative people over the years. These interactions and contributions with others has helped me develop, draw and imagine art that I couldn’t produce solely on my own.

Whether I am working in metal, wood, plexiglass and glass, I am usually collaborating with other artists to help me flesh out my vision. I work with welders, woodworkers, painters, finishers and computer aided designers to dream up multimedia projects and designs for myself and my clients. For metal dimensional pieces, I use my drawing skills to design a project and then with the help of technical partners they create the digital files needed for the designs to be cut on a CNC or laser cutter. After the pieces are cut, I have artist welders who help bring my vision to reality in partnership with my creative eye. Once the metal art is built, I use acrylic paints to apply beautiful colors and layers to bring the metal silhouette to life. Using matte, satin or high gloss finishes on the art helps give a glow to the metal. The same creative process can be used for dimensional wood and plexiglass as well.

Working on canvas and paper is also part of my repertoire. They are not processing that involve collaboration as much, so my work on canvas and paper are a challenge for me to see what I can do on my own. I enjoy the collaborative process and the bouncing of ideas back and forth from other talented people. They test and
question my ideas which helps me grow as an artist, but I also enjoy my alone time when I can be in my own thoughts and ideas and see what I can create. It’s a nice balance of both which keeps things interesting and fun.
From my days as PAG we would help our clients with custom commissions (oversize, strange sizes, budget, difficult location, tight deadline, etc.) and help them bring their ideas or art needs to life. I enjoy the challenge of helping others achieved their goals. Whatever their needs are: I can help them find a solution. I hope people can see that I am a creative problem solver with my work. I have the ability to work in many different mediums and love helping my clients bring their visions to life.

Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
Doesn’t over think. Just start creating. The world is a large place and there are all kinds of people out there. Someone will love your work just the way it is. Sometimes your least favorite painting is the first one that sells. It’s a mystery…… If you aren’t painting and creating there is nothing for your customers to talk about. You have to put your ideas and art out there.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I have a studio/gallery space

JHR ART
2536 E. Indian School Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85016
602-698-8844

jhrart.com

Contact Info:

• Address: JHR ART
  2536 E. Indian School Rd.
  Phoenix, AZ 85016
• Website: jhrart.com
• Phone: 602-698-8844
• Email: jennifer@jhrart.com
• Instagram: jhr_art

Image Credit:
Jennifer Hollack Raboin

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