Hwy 5

Artist Statement:

Since moving to San Francisco from Los Angeles 20+ years ago, I’ve driven the stretch of Hwy 5 between LA and the Bay Area dozens of times. While others may find this trip, mostly on flat land through the industrial farmland of the Central Valley, boring, I find it a respite from my every day life of phone calls and emails and social media.

This body of work, textile collages made with my hand-printed fabric, is not meant to be a literal representation of any one place on Hwy 5, but a figurative depiction of a journey, and of the meditative quality of a well-loved (and oft-repeated) road trip.

About the Artist:

Jen Hewett is a self-taught printmaker and surface designer. Working out of her tiny (54 sq. ft.) studio in San Francisco’s Inner Sunset neighborhood, she creates work that combines the flatness of printmaking and the texture of textiles, and which is inspired by the diversity of California’s landscapes.

When she’s not in her studio, she can be found riding San Francisco’s less-hilly streets on her bright pink bike, walking her energetic little dog Gus, teaching block printing classes to adults, or drinking a glass of sauvignon blanc at her local wine bar.