Practical Magic: Jen Shepard
Jen Shepard, Door to the Multiverse, 2019, mixed media installation, dimensions variable
Practical Magic is an online interview series with early and mid-career creatives. Through a selection of prompts we spotlight each person’s practice and (hopefully) prove art world creatives are the real influencers of today.
interview with: JEN SHEPARD
artist, graphic designer
Jen Shepard is not only a talented painter, sculptor and installation builder, she is an incredible graphic designer! We first worked with Jen when including her in our 2nd Annual Open Call Show in 2019. Since then we have stayed in close contact and in early 2020 hired her to design a re-branding of our logo, website, and more. A bit more about Jen:
Jen Shepard is a painter and sculptor living and working in Brooklyn, NY. Her work is inspired by the mysteries of the universe; particle physics, metaphysics, and outer space. She has been awarded residencies at Vermont Studio Center, The Wassaic Project, and DNA Artist Residency. Her work can be found in The Morgan Lehman flat files and The Fidelity Mutual Corporate Collection and has been featured in Hyperallergic, Two Coats of Paint, and Masterpiece Magazine (forthcoming).
We reached out back in May to hear how she was managing her time between working remotely and being in her studio. Better late than never - here were some of her responses.
PP: Where do you live and how does it affect your practice/career? What's the creative community like there?
JS: I live in Brooklyn. The creative community is vibrant, ambitious, and supportive. It affects my practice a lot, because it keeps me inspired and constantly striving for more. Career wise, moving here was the best thing I could have done. I've been here for almost 11 years now, and the opportunities and experiences I've had exhibiting, teaching, curating, writing, and interacting with other artists is completely priceless. When I first moved here I was super involved with a lot of DIY projects and spaces, and it had a deep impact on my work. I also made a slew of amazing friends for life. Back then I called it MFA 2.0. Now I just call it my life, which is amazing.
PP: Current binge-worthy tv/film recommendation?
JS: TV - Little Fires Everywhere, Killing Eve, and Motherland: Fort Salem! For movies: The Platform is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. A Spanish production for Netflix - it’s terrifying and relevant!
PP: What are you listening to in your studio or when you work?
JS: Mostly podcasts about murder, the occult, ghosts, and metaphysics, and SCIENCE lol. I listen to Last Podcast on the Left, My Favorite Murder, The Ted Radio Hour, and That's So Retrograde religiously. I also listen to Zealot (about cults), Jim Harold's Campfire (about ghosts). I also listen to some non-spooky stuff like This American Life, Criminal, Invisibilia, and Rachel Maddow but not as often. Otherwise I'm really into psych rock, punk rock, and indie rock, and have various apps for mixes!
Intergalactic, 2020, acrylic, acrylagouache, water soluble spray paint on paper, 30x22 in.
PP: Did you receive a formal education for the work you do currently? Either way, do you think it has supported/informed the outcome of your career and your future goals?
JS: I received a formal education for art and graphic design (which is my day job). I finished my MFA in Texas. I was on a 2D track, however, so I didn't learn a ton about sculpture. That is primarily self taught. I also attended grad school for design. The degree definitely opened up doors for me in terms of teaching and just having a steady income to support my art career. It also taught me a lot about how to present and curate myself, so that helped my art career. My MFA taught me to conceptualize and also how to maintain a consistent practice. It also taught me how to work in isolation, and it taught me a ton about persistence. So overall, both degrees have done a lot for my career/goals.
PP: If you had to pick a film that you feel inspires your practice in some way, which would it be and why?
JS: Suspiria (the 1977 original) is probably the film that I feel has most inspired my practice. This is obvious in very direct ways, such as my use of colored lighting in installations, but also in more general ways. I love the kitch-i-ness of the movie and movies like it, that explore scary or occult themes, yet approach them almost comically. It's like they are asking these huge questions about the universe and simultaneously making fun of themselves (ourselves). It's akin to nervous laughter at a funeral. Making fun or light of things is a way to deal with shit that scares you. Like Dada and war. So supernatural films are doing just that. And that's something I'm super interested in, in my work.
still from Suspiria, 1977, directed by Dario Argento
self-portrait of Jen in her studio
PP: What is the next big milestone you've set for yourself? How close to achieving it are you?
JS: The next big milestone for me is a solo show in Manhattan. I will have my first full scale solo show in the tri-state area this summer at Gold/Scopophilia in Montclair, NJ [Editor’s note: The show was postponed due to Covid-19, new date TBA] . So that is a huge milestone for me. But my next goal is a solo show in Manhattan. I also have my sites set on painting full time, or closer to full time. So another goal is to increase my sales. I did my first art fair in 2018, and two more this year. While the sales aren't quite there yet, I think I'm on a good track. I've sold more in the last 3 years than I ever have in my life. So, while I feel far from my lofty goal of being able to paint mostly full time, I'm closer than I've ever been.
PP: Who or what are major influences for you right now and why? (could be books, films, fashion, music, places, activities, artists, etc)
JS: I'm still feeling very influenced by my recent trip to Greece [pre-Covid]. The colors of the sunsets, the terrain, and the ocean were so inspiring. I'm also feeling really inspired by food. My partner and I do a lot of cooking for each other, so I've been thinking about and looking at a lot of food. Art wise I'm always on Instagram looking at the work of talented friends and acquaintances. Right now I'm loving Emilia Olsen's crying series, Kelly Worman's new abstract work, and I've also recently been looking at a lot of Kelsey Tynik's work since I am writing a profile about her for The Coastal Post. Before the pandemic I bought a book of Urs Fischer's work and have been looking at that quite a bit also.
Flesh Wound, 2019, acrylic, acrylagouche, water soluble spray paint, graphite on paper, 30x22 in.
Practical Magic interviews post weekly on Thursdays - check back to see who we’re chatting with next.