ABOUT THE GALLERY
Gunnison is my place. My love for this town goes deep into my bones. When we moved back to the valley after eight years it felt like coming home; my family is here, I see familiar faces from my childhood at the grocery store, the places I used to explore and play call to me, and I feel connected. One fall day, I walked past a vacant shop on Main Street and peered in the window, thinking, dreaming, but not yet believing. I had pondered opening a new shop where I could showcase and support talented artists, but it felt like a fantasy that was years away. I kept walking by for weeks, probably a dozen times over, before I picked up the phone "just to see......"
Lupine Gallery is a place where I can not only show my own work but a collection from other artists as well. I am thrilled to be creating an energizing, approachable space to showcase unique artwork from all over Colorado. Our evolving collection consists of silkscreen prints, paintings, pottery, jewelry and more, pieces all meticulously crafted by hand and inspired by the natural wonders of our beautiful world. I intend the space to be ever-changing and dynamic, a space where everyone is welcome and people can find connections in new and meaningful ways. The gallery is merely the vessel-- the artists are the true soul of the shop. I can't wait to share their stories with you!
JENNIE NOREEN OMASTA- Limited-Edition Silkscreen Prints
Jennie has spent most of her life in the mountains of Colorado. She studied printmaking at the University of Puget Sound, where she fell in love with silkscreen printing. She loves to work with her hands and enjoys the laborious process that printmaking demands.
After school Jennie showed her work at art festivals for a number of years and then took over Rock Run Gallery in Buena Vista. There she showed her work and the work of 40 other artists at the gallery, and became a skilled custom picture framer. Life changed course yet again when her daughter Wren was born and a new chapter for Jennie is now unfolding back in her hometown, Gunnison, CO! A new dream was hatched, and Jennie is excited to be curating Lupine Gallery from scratch.
When she’s not occupied with art or a toddler, she loves finding some time for fishing, surfing, boating, or skiing!
ARTIST STATEMENT
“Screen printing lends a unique and colorful energy to a figure. Using a reduction printing method, I bring forms to life layer by layer on paper. I draw my inspiration from the wilderness and the creatures that inhabit the spaces that I recreate in. Through my work, I invite my audience to observe stunning patterns found in nature and to reflect on our interactions with the wild. Perhaps if we take time to find beauty in glimpses of the natural world, we can foster a greater appreciation for the web of ever-changing ecosystems that we ourselves are a large part of!”
ABOUT THE PROCESS
Jennie's limited-edition silkscreen prints are typically created using a single screen. She works in a non-traditional technique - her designs are all created meticulously by hand by "painting" directly on the screen in the negative space to create a stencil. What is left behind in the positive space is then printed with ink through the screen onto paper. Each color must be printed separately and is layered on top of the previous one. She will block off more and more of the same screen between each color run, adding details as she goes along. This is called a reduction printing method. Because each design is created only once right on the screen itself and then altered after each layer, these prints are limited-editions and can never be duplicated. Jennie usually makes about 10-20 prints in each edition that are as close to identical as possible, making each one a rare, original work of art.
