Jenny Berry's Art Blog

My art on Saturday Night Live

I was really excited to get an email yesterday from long time patron Lori Guirard, who works for Saturday Night Live. They recently used a few pieces of my art on the set.

It was in a parody commercial for Estro Maxx. Here are some pics she sent:

Bill Hader above with Poe's Anatomy, a painting from 2007 and below Lord Byron's Luggage and Patiently. 

The fake spot is really funny. It takes a stab at those ridiculous, over-promising pharmaceutical ads we're constantly barraged with. Taking it over the top in typical SNL style.

Not that they need any help, the drug companies do a pretty good job taking it over the top themselves. A lot of those ads are almost parodies already. Here's the full clip:

 

Thanks again Lori! You're the best :) Love to JP, Nick & Bella xoxo

"DiSecting DeKooning" in it's new home

I always love getting letters from collectors but this one is really special to me. And this painting was a special one too so getting this email really made my day.

Hi Jennifer , I don't know if you remember me. I'm a french circus performer who bought one of your paintings.  After 10 years in your country all around the 50 states I decided to go back to mine and start again my art (sculpture) what I left for so many years.  So anyway I moved back to France all my stuff including your painting and now I send you a picture of it to show you how it looks beautiful on my wall. If one day you decide to come to visit France, I'm living in Bordeaux, the wine's country, please feel free to contact me you will always be welcome in my house. Wish you the best of the best Berengere

Di Secting De Kooning ©Jennifer Berry 2008

Thank you Berengere! and of course I remember you!! How am I going to forget the French circus performer who bought one of my favorite paintings?! 

J'ai etude les Français pour cinq ans . Mais mes francais est toujours tres mauvais ! Cette peinture est tres belle sur votre... wall? wall? what's the word for wall????... Pardon parce que je ne utilise pas un translator pour cette phrase...

Okay, that hurt! My french is horrible but I got through that sentence with NO translator... that's probably obvious and i did it in less than 5 minutes... okay, pathetic i know :)

But I promise before I visit Bordeaux I will brush up on my french because I would love to stop in for a visit an meet you in person. I'd love to schedule a trip around one of your performances too. I googled you just to see if there were pics of your act online and wow, they're amazing! 

 

 

© Naidenkine Family Circus. Aerial/floor Hula-Hoops: the "Harley-hoops" act is executed by Berengere Naidenkine, and is dedicated to American bikers and their road trips.  

Absolutely incredible! I definitely want to see this in person! I had to re-post these here because they're so cool!! and I can't wait to see your sculpture, too. 

I remember working on your painting so vividly, like I just did it last week. What inspired it was this exhibition I saw about 15 years ago at the High Museum in Atlanta of some of de Kooning's 'Woman Paintings' from the early 50's. 

I remember them well but they blur in my mind into morphed, pink, mutilated feminine shapes. Very disturbing. I loved them as much as I hated them. I learned something about myself that day though. Here are a couple of them. 

© Willem de Kooning 

© Willem de Kooning  

Now I love it when I feel repelled by a piece of art because I know it isn't the art but something it's conjuring in me. Which is exactly what it's supposed to do! When it's doing it's job it hits us in some emotional place. Sometimes it's a good place... sometimes not so good... but that's almost more important. Art isn't supposed to just make us happy. That's what puppies are for ;) 

Those paintings kicked me in the head that day. They stung something inside me that I didn't want to acknowledge. I didn't know that then. I just knew I didn't like it. Now I've learned to embrace it when that feeling comes over me. Maybe that's what emotional growing pains feel like. Who knows?

de Kooning's art held a message for me that I wouldn't understand until years later and sometimes, like the night I painted this one, I think I can understand what he was feeling and why it's so important to let it out. Even if you don't do it with words.

Encore Merci Berengere ! and I will make a point to stop in for a visit when I'm traveling in your country next time. Your art is definitely an inspiration for my art! — Jen

Blast from the past here...

Thanks Matt for the pics. Love these frames too, they look amazing.

 

 
 
Wow Matt, talk about deja vu! I remember this one. This was one of the first Coyote Fence paintings, maybe the first in the whole series. 

I haven't done these as much since I moved out of the southwest. You just don't really see that many coyote fences in northern Michigan so I don't think about them. Maybe I should! thanks again for sending these.

Mike's Bad Bird Pics

Nice job Mike! It looks awesome on that wall. Those colors are so killer and unexpected against that neutral backdrop. David Bromstad would be proud. LOL

 

The warm rose and peach tones were so out of my normal color palette and I love them now. The day I painted that one my friend Michelle was visiting my studio and I told her pick out the colors for the next painting, I'm completely bored with my own taste sometimes and that's what she picked. 

I gave her a brush and we both were pulling colors around the canvas till we agreed it looked awesome, then we added the bird and the fence and voila! 

Fair warning to anyone that visits me in my studio, there's a good chance I'll put you to work. What?! Andy Warhol did it! I love outside input. It pushes me to places that I wouldn't have gone otherwise and that's always a good thing ;)

 
I love Mike's dog in this shot! mmmm, yummy stretcher bars! too funny.  

Shameless Client Plug...

I don't push products or anything as a rule but these bags are really an exception for obvious reasons ;) First, seriously... check out the logo here folks! Is it possible I'm not going to love these?

 

And the bags speak for themselves.

I'm all about the reversible messenger bag. I usually do yoga at home but the yoga bag is too cool... maybe I could sign up for a class so I'd have an excuse to buy it?

  

Okay, so I'm a bit of a bag freak in the first place but a bird too? I'm sold. Plus, they're all hand-made by a long time customer of mine, Marci McDonald in Phoenix. The name of her store is Flipped Bird and here's a link to her online store. 

 

I love these bags and she's got some amazing hats, too. And no, she didn't even ask me to put this up I just stumbled across them and thought that anyone that likes my bird paintings would probably like these too. I'm thinking perfect Christmas present for a couple of people I know.   

My Art featured in HGTV designer's home

One of my favorite clients Ulya Jensen (HGTV designer/co-host on Home To Flip) had her home featured in the Ottowa Citizen a few weeks ago (sorry I'm just posting this now). She's awesome (and very patient :) and her home is gorgeous and those birds don't look half bad if I do say so myself :) thanks again Ulya!

 

Here's a link to the full article.

Who's That? Secret Squirrel...

A customer just reminded me of Secret Squirrel... I'd totally forgotten about this little dude. The squirrel of many faces... I'm dyin' ova hea... this is hilarious. Thanks Kat! made my day...

Watching this makes me realize how groundbreaking the animation for this cartoon really was. If you watch one of the episodes you can really see how much influence it had on modern cartoons from Ren & Stimpy to Courage The Dog. 

Crazy Daddy-O.

Nick & Bella

One of my new favorite customers (Lori) just emailed me these pics of her son and her golden... how cute are these!!??? Lori's the set designer for the Olive Garden's television commercials and she's going to be using some of my work in upcoming commercials. More about that soon...

Anyway, I love getting letters and pics like these so please send me pics of my paintings in their new homes or anything (keep it clean!) you want and i'll post it here. —j

Hi Jen,

We can't wait for our painting to arrive!!  I can't believe I won the auction!  And I was bidding in my jammies.  Gotta love ebay.  I read the story of Henry's arrest to my son (seen below with my canine daughter Bella).  He was cracking up.  We both were.  You can always count on Goldens to keep life interesting.  Very quirky dogs.  Your beautiful painting will have a happy home with us.  Love your work, love your blog.

Thank you so much.

Lori, Jean-Paul, Nick and Bella Guirard

ps What is your gallery name so I can view more of your work?

Thanks Lori, I absolutely love these shots. They made my day.