Artist Profile
These striking prints were created by Northern Irish artist Jenn Rea from her workshop based in the Cathedral Quarter of Belfast.
Inspired by the inkblot sets of Swiss Psychiatrist Hermann Rorshach which were used to analyse the inner workings and thought patterns of people’s minds, Jenn uses indian ink on board in loose free flow style to render these stunning portraits of familiar cultural icons. Her work is heavily influenced by her love of music, literature, and design.
“My Rorschach-inspired style of painting was born out the annual Inktober challenge, where artists are encouraged to produce 31 artworks in 31 days during the month of October. I used this initiative to explore a looser painting style – a move away from the learned constriction of my art studies at university and with this new style, I progressed to portraits.”
Jenn Rea
What We Love About Jenn's Work
I’m not normally drawn to portraits of famous faces unless there’s something captivating about the artwork itself. Jenn sent us the Dali print first and I loved it as soon as I unwrapped it! The striking image created using a free flow ink technique is simple but beautiful. I’ve always loved the Rorschach theory – a little like seeing shapes in the clouds – the idea that what you see in the ink blots says something about you. The shapes that the brushstrokes create take away any ‘tightness’ that might have come from a hand drawn portrait that can leave faces a little lifeless and instead she’s managed to catch the very character of the person she’s portraying.
These cool little prints are fun as some art should be and beautifully composed on the paper so that on any wall they’ll create an intriguing shape even before you recognize the face. Each one in our small collection portrays the iconic face of an incredible artist who has changed the way we looked at art or listen to music forever. How could we resist these pioneers of creativity!
Lorraine
