Exploring the Endless Sky
Everyone deserves a sense of peace, abundance, and joy every single day. (I know you’re thinking “I wish!”) When you can’t find that feeling of peace, you need a bag of “tricks” to soothe you into a more relaxed state of mind. Here’s a really good one:
Try looking up at the sky as often as you can.
The great thing about the sky is it’s everywhere. No matter where you are, you can usually see it. Even when you’re stuck in traffic in the most humdrum place, the sky is above quietly looking gorgeous, just waiting for you to notice.
Turning your up face to the light always helps. Stopping to take a deep breath and enjoy it is life affirming.
This is why I paint skies. I use my painting skills to trick people into enjoying the sky more just because it’s good for them.
The sky is a source of abundance, beauty, calm, and a feeling of limitless potential. It is a symbol of spirituality. My mission is to spread this in the world with my art.
I experience this sense of soothing abundance when I meditate every day. Painting from observation has become a very meditative practice for me too. Basically, I spend as much time as I can in this relaxing state of flow.
Who are you?
I’m Jenny Kiehn, an artist originally from Asheville, NC who chased her dreams to the UNC School of the Arts, then an art school called The Cooper Union in New York City. Then I moved to the UK for love and spent the next ten years making and exhibiting artwork, being a pro photographer, becoming a certified art teacher, and ultimately having four kids in five years (Whoa!). Then I moved back to Asheville and have been nurturing my children and my art ever since.
I’ve never stopped making artwork this entire time, despite all the things. You see, I have a deep and incessant itch to create, and having felt so completely whole and in tune with myself when I was creating, I really can’t accept anything less.
Okay, to be really honest I did stop making art for a little while when babies were being born. However, I soon became a “resentful hag” (my words!) and discovered I don’t like myself when I’m not creating. So I decided I was going to do whatever I had to to create and that was that.
So you see, I’m quite a good person to help you, because I know what you have to do to find peace and abundance even when it’s elusive. But it’s there, I swear. And honestly, it’s easier to find than you think.
How did you get into painting skies?
I fell into painting skies by serendipitous accident in Aug 2022. For the twenty years preceding that, I had done a mixture of photography, sculpture, textiles and realistic drawing. Every time I came up with a new idea my materials would change because the artwork was concept driven. The constant was that my ideas were always linked to my personal development. If you’re interested in my story and the development of my work you can find out more about it here. Suffice it to say, after a period of sifting through my past, healing, and deciding how I wanted to live, I was ready to break free.
The “accident” happened as a collaboration with my husband. He is an incredible scale modeler who makes museum quality dioramas. We had just painted the wood paneling in our log cabin in Asheville, NC so we had these big white walls in our main room that were just waiting to be filled. I suddenly said “Mike, this is your canvas! You could put your airplanes up there!” Then he turned to me and said “Will you paint me a sky mural?” I was taken aback, but thought “Why not?”
So my first sky painting was thirty feet long and the base of it was 9 feet in the air! I got on that ladder and realized I never wanted to play small again. I wanted to contemplate vast expanses, unending opportunity, and the ever changing beauty of nature. And I LOVED painting!
Since then I’ve been experimenting with all different styles of painting skies. I’ve tried big brushes and rapid painting with lots of paint, I’ve tried slower, more realistic painting, and I’ve taught myself to paint with underpainting and glazes in the style of the old Masters. It’s been a blast.
Lately I’ve been enjoying creating horizons that sink back in space. They fit perfectly with that feeling of unending potential.
Science and Art
Another thing I do is investigate the Intersection of Creativity and Science. Being at Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art sparked my curiosity about how much overlap there was between the creative process and scientific experimentation. Years later, I started interviewing scientists to find out. As it turns out, there is huge overlap and lots of creative thinking on both sides!
Since 2012 I have been speaking on the topic in public forums. I’ve presented to organizations such as the Royal Meteorological Society, The Collider, and the Rotary club. Every time it sparks discussion and I learn more about the topic.
Basically I think everything is connected. Art, science, spirituality, and nature are all related to one another.
Takeaway + Mission
If there’s one thing you take away from looking at my work, try making a habit of enjoying the sky every day. Allow that feeling of peace and abundance to fill you up, because the more you enjoy it, the more it will become an active player in your life. Then just watch as your world starts to change for the better. Honestly a simple habit like this makes a huge difference.
My mission is to spread beauty, peacefulness and a feeling of limitless potential in the world with my art.
If you want more of that, you can join my mailing list to see how my artwork evolves and get my tips for finding peace while juggling life.
My mailing list is like my family. I tell them what I’m working on stage by stage, even when I have no idea where it will lead. They also give me feedback, which I really appreciate! If you want to be part of that exchange, just sign up below.
See you in my studio!
(Yep, this is the closest you can get without physically walking through the door!)
Recognized and Trusted by:
