Jen is a natural storyteller who found mixed media art a decade ago and never looked back. She's drawn to the imperfect, the funky, the quirky, the artsy and the authentic: be it people, objects or art.
Her jewelry, collage and assemblage has been featured in Belle Armoire Jewelry; Somerset Studio; Somerset Life; Cloth, Paper, Scissors; WireWork and Jewelry Affaire magazines, as well as the websites of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion and on the Crafts Channel of Lifetime Television. She's also a Designer Member of the Craft and Hobby Association(CHA) and won an award for "Most Innovative Design" at the Winter CHA 2011 trade show and convention. At the Summer CHA 2011 show, she and Claudine Hellmuth were honored for their collaborative design in the Crafty Couture Mixed-Media Dress Challenge.
Prior to designing and teaching mixed media art techniques, she's been a journalist/editor for newspapers and magazines for more than 20 years. For the past decade, she's specialized in writing about the visual arts as a freelancer for publications such as American Style, Niche, Phoenix Home and Garden, Southwest Art, The Artist's Magazine, Art of the New West, Mary Engebreit's Home Companion magazine and other publications.
Jen is currently the Director of Education and Marketing for ICE Resin Susan Lenart Kazmer. She's also the author of "Art Choses You", an art marketing advice column for Belle Armoire Jewelry and a contributing editor for Create Mixed Media. She is currently working on her second jewelry book with North Light Books.
An enthusiastic and supportive instructor, Jen teaches more than art-making techniques. She encourages others to explore their authentic, creative process to create personalized work infused with imagery and storytelling.
