Jennifer was born in Portland, OR and moved to Colorado as a young child. She spent her childhood summers camping and hiking all over the United States with her family. Thanks to her father's work in the National Parks as a plant pathologist, Jennifer was able to experience them first hand at a young age. Her a love of wildlife and landscapes that started during her childhood is a prime influence on her work as an artist today.

Jennifer received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Kansas in 1996. Out of college she  put down the canvas and paints and got a job as a graphic designer for a clothing company. However, after three years of digital art, Jennifer wanted to get back into mixed media and more tangible creativity. She took a leap of faith and quit her job to start her own faux painting business. With her business success, Jennifer wanted to remain on the cutting edge of the faux painting market and took an opportunity to study in Italy with a master faux finisher and muralist. Once back in Kansas, Jennifer was the most sought-after faux finisher in Kansas City and was featured in several Kansas City home and garden magazines. 

When in Italy, her studies and experience were invaluable to her skill set as a faux painter. What wasn't predicted was that her time there would spark her desire to paint landscapes. Getting back to her roots as a young girl in love with nature and wildlife, Jennifer made another shift in her career and began painting wildlife and landscapes. 

In 2005, Jennifer relocated to Colorado and started a family. She still resides in Lakewood, CO with her three boys Grant, Sean, and Mark. She loves being closer to the mountains and some of America's iconic landscapes and National Parks that have become the focus of her paintings. She balances being a mother and a painter and giving her boys the ability to experience nature both through their experiences and, like the rest of us, through her inspiring paintings. 

Jennifer enjoys plain air painting and the challenge of capturing an ever-changing and nuanced scene. She describes her painting style as a combination of realism and impressionism. Her series “Beauty of Our National Parks” is her way of paying homage to the original National Park poster series by giving it a more vibrant representation of the parks than was possible with the printing technology of that time period.  

Select Awards

2019 – Russel Skull Society Member – C.M. Russell Museum

2017 – Artist Choice Award – Greeley Stampede

2015 – Best Quick Finish Award – Traveling the West Show

2012 –Honorable Mention – Artist of Northern Colorado National Art Exhibition

2012 – Merit Award – Plein Air Artist of Colorado National Juried Fine Art Exhibition

2012 – Merit Award – Salon International Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art

2012 –Jury’s Top 50 – Salon International Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art

Associations

American Women Artist

American Impressionist Society

Plein Air Artists of Colorado

Women Artist of the West

Oil Painters of America

Select Publications

Southwest Art, November 2012 “Artist to Watch”

American Art Collector, May 2012 – Featured artist in the Plein Air Artists 16th National Juried Fine Art Exhibition

Western Art Collector,  June 2011 – Featured artist in the Plein Air Artists 15th National Juried Fine Art Exhibition