JILL McLENNAN: IMPRESSIONS
October 25 – November 30, 2024
Artists’ Reception: Saturday, October 26, 4 – 6 pm
Oakland Art Murmur / First Friday: November 1, 5 – 9 pm
Jill McLennan’s exhibition, “Impressions”, showcases her ongoing exploration of printmaking techniques and narrative imagery. From the charred trees of Yosemite, to the beaches of Chilmark and the forests of Karuizawa, McLennan documents her surroundings. Her observations range from her own travels to local and far away places, depicting encampments of Oakland’s houseless population, and chronicles of current events. She creates visual stories about human and animal migrations and how they overlap and interact with our changing environment. McLennan incorporates historic letterpress haiku poems with some of her linoleum block prints from the migration series. This summer, McLennan traveled to Japan to learn the traditional Japanese wood carving, Mokuhanga. The prints in this exhibition were created in McLennan’s studio in Jingletown as well as at the Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, Featherstone Art Center on Martha’s Vineyard, and the Karuizawa Mokuhanga School in Japan. McLennan intertwines techniques, subject matter, and personal experiences with a realistic yet positive outlook on the world and the future.
Gallery
Available Work
Jill McLennan
Jill McLennan creates paintings, collages and prints inspired by her surroundings and the stories that she collects. She has been a member of Mercury 20 Gallery since 2007. She is an active member of her neighborhood, Jingletown Arts, Business + Community (JABC), organizing Open Studios as well as beautification projects. She recently printed a series of linoleum blocks with poems, telling stories of migration and climate change, through a residency at the Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, CA. McLennan has completed two public art projects: Jingletown Birds at 401 Derby and Emeryville Perspectives at 65th and Christie Streets. Both are cut steel fences depicting the local shoreline with birds, designed by McLennan and executed by local metal fabricators. Her work was accepted to the deYoung Open in 2020 and 2023. As an artist and teacher, she is deeply invested in protecting her environment, inspiring the youth, and spreading hope and joy into the world.