Gifted by Faith
Exhibit by Irene “Jenny” Pickens at UNCA.
Picture taking a bare canvas and dominating it with every curve from your extremely talented hand. Imagine fusing rich, bold, and colorful acrylics together to make masterpiece after masterpiece. Picture leaving those who view your portraits, quilts, and pottery mesmerized by your skill. Picture Irene “Jenny” Pickens.
Working with known artists such as Tommie Lee Robinson, Lorelle Bacon, and Hilary Burke, Pickens graduated from drawing houses in crayon and making doll houses from cardboard, to painting gorgeous acrylics and creating portraits using the difficult stipple method.
While some artists prefer oil, Pickens like acrylics because of its no-fuss versatility. “I use acrylics because it is easy to blend and if you make a mistake, it is easy to correct it,” she said. She also likes the stipple technique because it is the dots, not the lines, that create the picture, a challenging feat in Pickens’ opinion. “It is a lot of detail,” Pickens says of the stipple method.
Pickens has faced another challenge common to many artists: gaining attention from more area galleries.“There were some local gallery owners that would send postcards of interest, but their interest ended up fading.”
Blessed with a natural gift that took years to develop, nurture, and refine, Pickens is an artist in the truest sense of the word, and she has no problem inspiring those who want to follow in her footsteps. “Teaching arts and crafts to kids of all ages and seniors is how I give back to my community for having this God-given talent,” she said.
“Gifted By Faith,” paintings by Irene “Jenny” Pickens will be on view throughout February, with gallery hours 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and noon-6 p.m. on Sundays.
A reception with the artist will take place from 5:30-7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 in UNCA’s Highsmith Art and Intercultural Gallery. The reception and exhibit are free and open to the public.
