Edgy impressionism
Jody Ahrens, Sky Peeking Thru, oil, 14 x 18.
Jody Ahrens approaches everything she does with an intense curiosity and a boundless sense of possibility fueled by one compelling question. “I play the ‘what if?’ game a lot; it’s one of the most important phrases I use,” the Grand Junction, CO, artist reveals. Whether contemplating a mark on paper or a missed turn in the road, Ahrens remains open, trusting she’ll arrive where she’s meant to be—and that she’ll enjoy the journey along the way.
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- Jody Ahrens, Gateway to Canyons, oil, 14 x 18.
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- Jody Ahrens, Corn Lake, oil, 15 x 19.
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- Jody Ahrens, Marsh, oil, 14 x 22.
The oil painter takes viewers on their own beguiling journeys in her edgy, impressionistic western landscapes, their vibrant colors applied with intuitively definitive strokes. Although art has always been an important part of her life, Ahrens didn’t consider it as a career until she was introduced to oils in her early 30s. They were the catalyst to attend art school and take workshops, as well as to seek gallery representation.
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- Jody Ahrens, Ashley’s Front Yard, oil, 14 x 18.
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- Jody Ahrens, Autumn Spice, oil, 18 x 15.
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- Jody Ahrens, Uninhabited Valley, oil, 15 x 18.
Ahrens’ painting style is a healthy yin and yang of structure and experimentation. She inherited the structure and a love for interpreting the landscape from her father, a Walt Disney cartoonist and “my greatest influence,” she says fondly. The experimentation was introduced at Chouinard School of the Arts, now California Institute of the Arts. “At the time I attended, the instructors wanted you just to step up to the easel and start expressing yourself,” Ahrens notes. “Over time, I merged what my father taught me with open-ended experimentation, and my conscious focus now is to paint a feeling.”
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- Jody Ahrens, Alpine Lake, oil, 32 x 30.
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- Jody Ahrens, Old Guys on the Hill, oil, 18 x 22.
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- Jody Ahrens, The Dove Tree, oil, 15 x 19.
Ahrens finds that feeling en plein air by capturing not what she sees but, rather, her interpretation of it. “I ask myself, ‘What’s the mood of this scene? What do I feel?’” she reveals. “From there, I determine the composition, editing as necessary; select the palette using a color wheel; and then loosely lay in the subject. At that point, there are no more rules. I switch on the right side of my brain and listen to the canvas while keeping the mood in mind.” Ahrens adds philosophically, “I’ve learned not to search for the perfect painting, because the perfect painting is always in front of me.” —Beth Williams
representation
James Ratliff Gallery, Sedona, AZ; www.jodyahrensartist.com.
This story appeared in the June/July 2022 issue of Southwest Art magazine.