Studio Visit + Interview with Jenny Pennywood
Hello! My name is Lexi; I am the assistant buyer at Rare Device. I had the pleasure of visiting SF-based artist Jen Garrido in her Bayview neighborhood studio. We placed an order for her dyed and printed tea towels and napkins, so picking them up was a perfect excuse to take a studio tour!
Lexi Martinez: Can you tell us about the evolution of Jenny Pennywood and how this artist differs from Jen Garrido?
Jen Garrido: Jenny Pennywood came about when I decided I wanted to pursue more commercial artwork but I didn't want it to interfere with my fine art painting career. So I gave myself another name and started making work under it.
LM: How does your fine-art painting process differ from your textile pattern-making process?
JG: In my painting I work with nature based forms and use oil paints and water colors. With my patterns, I make drawings, scan them, and compose the designs in the computer.
LM: What materials/tools do you use? Any particular favorites?
JG: Oil, acrylic, gouache and watercolor paint, paint brushes, the computer, paper…I love them equally.
LM: Can you tell us a little about the dyes used in your textiles?
JG: I collaborate with Sierra Reading and she uses all natural dyes.
LM: How often do you sketch before starting a final piece? Do doodles ever turn into workable pattern designs?
JG: Sometimes I paint in my sketchbook and then it inspires me to make a pattern or painting from it but not every time.
LM: What's your favorite color palette right now?
JG: Blues.
LM: What artists inspire you?
JG: Amy Sillman, Phillip Guston, and Louise Bourgeois.
LM: What are the perfect conditions for a productive day in your studio?
JG: Ice tea, weather a little cold and gray, good music, and no where to go.
LM: Current studio tunes?
JG: Bahamas, Beirut, the band that plays all the music in Friday Night Lights. (ed. Explosions in the Sky)
LM: Any new projects of yours we should be on the look-out for?
JG: I'm working on a line of kid's clothes with Lena Corwin called See Sun…coming this fall.
Thank you so much for having me over, Jen! You are incredibly talented and we're so happy to be carrying you at Rare Device. All of Jen's tea towels and napkins are available in-store (at Divisadero) and online. For more insight, please check out her two different websites: Jenny Pennywood and Jen Garrido.