Cynthia Jensen

ARTIST STATEMENT

My work tells the story of the impact of civilization on our environment. It’s about the growing threat our industrial society poses to the interconnectedness of all living things and to our very existence. Inspired by specimens and artifacts in museums of natural history and anthropology, I imagine what we would leave behind, what would be found after we are gone, and what that would tell about us.

I use materials such as paper, bark, wood, leather, plastic, bone, clay and metal, as well as recycled and found objects .My sculptural work takes many forms: nests and eggs, vessels, plant and animal-inspired pieces, masks and heads, and mixed media assemblages, I create sculptures that have been stripped down to bare essence, resulting in fragmented and somewhat skeletal forma. Negative space is a significant element in all of my work.

Many of the processes I use are reductive as well. I bleach, melt, burn, drill, cut, scratch, and tear my materials, and I deconstruct found objects. Conversely, I weave, stitch, layer, tie, mold, cast, nail, screw and weld elements together. I stress texture, line and movement. Color is multi-layered and ranges from quite subtle to bold. Image and text are often incorporated through silk-screening and other hand printing methods, and surfaces are embellished with paints, pigments, dyes and patinas.

I create contemporary artifacts illustrating the effects of our actions on our fragile ecosystems. 

ARTIST BIO

Cynthia Jensen is a San Francisco Bay Area artist whose two-dimensional and sculptural work explores the tenuous balance between civilization and nature. She works in a variety of media, including metal, clay, and fiber and often incorporates found and recycled materials. For the past thirty-five years, Cynthia’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums, including the de Young Museum. Her work has been highlighted in several publications and she has won numerous awards.