Jennifer Evans (USA)

Luchita's Overstory
Paper Collage
21 x 17 x 2 inches

Jennifer Evans is a textile and paper collage artist. Her art often includes found objects imbued with memories; and is centered around themes of identity and the human desire for connectedness to other people and cultures and, by extension, to plants and trees.

Artist Luchita Hurtado’s statement “Everything in this world, I find I’m related to” captures Evans’ artistic approach, drawing inspiration from stories, traditions, art and crafts of multiple cultures. Her works often focus on women and their many roles and identities; whether inherited or found.

The inspiration for this collage germinated from her stash of found papers, some of which contain bits and pieces of actual plants. The idea blossomed more fully from a reading of Richard Powers’s book, The Overstory, where he describes the humanness and connectedness of the majestic trees; the celebration of, and connections between, humans and trees.

Some believe the problem with the world is a failure of imagination, the inability to imagine the path. Our job as artists is to prime the pump. Art has the ability to plant seeds of hope: our smallest thoughts, gestures and creations can become a mighty oak, having the potential to impact our lives and the lives of others.