By KATIE LACKEY
Student Writer
She has always been drawn to art, but it wasn’t until her late 20s that she began actively pursuing it.
Jackie Feng, an artist in residence at Northwestern, arrived during the first week of October and will be staying until December. She originally graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in industrial design. Then she went on to work as a graphic designer.
Feng said she knew that wasn’t what she wanted to do, so she started taking some evening painting classes. She went on to graduate this past spring from Boston University in two years with a master of fine arts.
Painting is Feng’s medium of choice. She paints a variety of objects to keep herself from being limited to one single genre.
Now at Northwestern, Feng serves as an artist-in-residence. She has two months to utilize the time and space here to create a series of drawings and paintings. At the end of her two months, she will have a cumulative art show of all her works at the Graceful Arts Center on December 4.
Feng also gains teaching experience from this position. She gets to instruct a few of the art classes on campus, as well as a watercolor painting workshop at the Graceful Arts Center on November 21. It is a way for her to reach out to the community through the arts.
As far as future plans, Feng has a studio in Los Angeles where she will continue painting. She is also currently searching for a teaching job where she hopes to teach undergraduate and graduate levels.
“My interest in this residency was to take myself out of the urban surrounding and to see what I would come up with in a drastically different kind of town.” Feng said. “The people here are super friendly, and it is definitely a nice change of pace from being in the city. The landscape around here is also giving me different ideas for my work too.”
In response to what piece of artwork is she most proud of “I learn something from every piece I have made, and this is my measuring stick for what I would be proud of.” Feng said.
Henri Matisse and Francisco Goya are two painters Feng respects and admires. She explained that Goya has a unique blend of comedy and tragedy in his work that she also strives for. Matisse’s paintings have a sense of light that comes from within the paintings. “I consider Matisse a revolutionary when it comes to using colors and paint.” Feng said
For young and upcoming artists “They should definitely cultivate a discipline of drawing all the time and to keep a sketch book and jot down all your ideas, good or bad.” Feng said “to become well versed in art history.”
Kyle Larson, assistant professor of art, said: “One of the main goals of the Artist-in-Residence program is for visual arts students to see what it takes to be a professional artist.” Larson said “Students have been able to see Jackie’s work ethic, dedication, self-discipline, and the sheer amount of work that she makes on a daily basis. Jackie is also a fantastic teacher and has led two class periods this semester. The feedback and advice she has given the students has been invaluable, and the results can already be seen in their artwork.”