About The Artist
Jeanie Gooden is an American painter whose work is deeply influenced by architecture and culture. Gooden lives between the United States and Central Mexico. For the past decade, most of her paintings have been created in the colonial city of San Miguel de Allende.
Her work is non-representational mixed media, which is often large in scale. In recent years, the surfaces have become very layered using a mix of paint, pigments, paper, textiles, metal, nails and hand stitching on canvas. Materials vary within a body of work offering both smoother surface paintings and deep textured pieces.
Gooden says that she pushes herself to explore texture. “I once vowed not to work with mixed media only to become fascinated by layering many materials. I like the challenge of creating a surface that is integrated but in unity”.
With roots in the performing arts, the influence of music is always present in Jeanie’s work. Charcoal details and markings are often seen in her paintings. Gooden is passionate about her desire to create a feeling of movement in her work. She sees it as “giving her paintings a voice”.
Gooden often explains her creative process as an exploration of the “Art and Heart”. The art portion is to reach beyond previous technique and materials. The heart portion speaks to the desire to explore and translate deep emotion in her work.
“When a painting finds it’s voice, the work is ready to be seen.
The moment of completion is when someone connects with that painting. Having people choose my work is very humbling.
I am most thankful for the gift of painting.”
-Jeanie Gooden
Artist Statement
My life has been a process of creating. My appreciation of and love for the arts began with music when I was very young. Later, the creative process involved developing art partnerships while working in a fine art museum. Ultimatly, it was painting that challenged me. Today, my life and painting are so intertwined that I need to make art to breathe more easily. Music remains one of my greatest inspirations but painting became my voice. The process of creating is my balance.
I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to work within two beautiful cultures. Painting in San Miguel de Allende impacts my work in ways that I didn’t expect but are delightful to me. The beautiful architecture, rich color and deep cultural history have become a strong influence on my paintings. My studio in the United States is urban and opposite of the Mexico studio. Working within the familiar context of my home culture is something I cherish and need.
Like most professions, I take everything I feel with me to work. Through my choice of color, brushes, texture or movement, I begin a dialogue that dances between clarity and confusion. I make an initial commitment to the canvas and try to embrace where it takes me. Often I end a day of painting in a much different place than expected. Listening to the canvas and trying to maintain what it gives me is a skill that I try to learn each time I paint.
I paint from a very personal place…layering my emotions and feeling onto each surface. If successful, the finished paintings will enable the viewer to filter what they see through their life experience. My constant hope is that my paintings will translate to the viewer in a very personal way. How someone interprets the finished paintings is always more interesting than anything I could suggest.
I make a conscious effort to maintain the idea that fear has no place in my creative process. The joy I have in making art is captured within the moments of completion and release…when the canvas becomes a painting and when a person connects with what they see.