Somerville’s Jennifer Swanson Downes: A Low Brow/Pop Surrealist Artist
By Doug Holder
When I met Magoun Square resident Jennifer
Swanson Downes at the Sherman Café in Union Square one morning recently, she
described herself as a Low Brow/ Pop Surrealist artist. She told me that in her
mind this genre examines the grimier and seedier side of life. Her work seems to
subvert banal realistic images and infuses them with her own unique
sensibility. Her art is colorful, well, like Downes’ background is. She has a
Black Belt in Karate, plays the harmonica, flute and mandolin. Jenn-O-Matic (Her moniker), also has a cat
and dog grooming service and has worked as a kindergarten school teacher.
I was interested in her use of bright color in
her works as evidenced in her Tiki
series—a Polynesian flourish of artwork she has created. As I picked at the
crumbled remains of my luscious Sherman Café oatmeal scone she told me:
“I really learned about color by drawing in
black and white. I mean there are a million shades in between. So it was a
natural progression to experiment with different vivid colors.”
Swanson, like many an
artist, uses her travels as an inspiration for her work. She has visited
Belize, the Mayan Pyramids, and has a particular fascination with ancient civilizations—all
reflected in her art.
Swanson loves living
in Somerville. She finds the close proximity to other artists, culture, music
festivals, etc… very inspiring. Like many creative people she has found a home
in the Paris of New England, Somerville, Mass.
*** For more
information about Swanson go to:
http://jennomatic.weebly.com
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