Check Out Jennie Sweo’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennie Sweo.

Hi Jennie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers. 
I loved looking at art as a child and always wanted to understand how artists went about creating the art I saw. I remember just wanting to understand how things were drawn and made. What processes do artists use to create? That desire for knowledge led me, eventually to earn my Ph.D. in Design Studies from Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I wouldn’t say the road was smooth. I had lots of ideas of where I would be or what I would be doing along the way. I would also say that it took time for me to develop my ideas and to come up with my own processes for creating art as well as deciding on what I wanted to create.

Education for me was an important part of discovery for me. Education takes time and money. Between my degrees, I worked as a graphic designer in various companies. I learned a lot of skills and techniques that additionally helped in developing my processes for how I create my art.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I love color, and I love working with paper to create my imagery. I like working with paper because it is very controllable and very versatile. I call what I do painting with paper. I cut paper, fold paper, tear paper, mold paper, and even sculpt with it. I use dots similar to pointillism to create texture and patterns of color.

I fold small strips of paper and use them on the edge, again another way to create color, texture, and pattern. I roll the paper up and use spindles of paper. I feel that paper gives me the versatility that other types of media never could.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
As a fine artist, it is hard to say where the fine art markets will be in 5-10 years. There are so many markets out there. It is no longer necessary to go to New York or other large cities to be known as an artist or to sell artwork. The lack of physical boundaries is exciting. How that will change, I don’t know, but again, that is what makes things exciting. The adventure of it all.

Contact Info:

• Website: jsweo.blogspot.com
• Instagram: @jsweo
• Linkedin: @Dr. Jennie Sweo