A pearl-and-sapphire earring dangles from its beak. The bird’s head is tilted slightly, the gaze directed knowingly at the viewer. THE LOST EARRING depicts a golden-crowned sparrow perched on an antique Chinese wooden box. Jhenna Quinn Lewis, The Lost Earring, oil, 14 x 11.Ī more recent painting, which was selected for the 2017 Birds in Art show at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, combines each of these elements in an exquisite, engaging image. Jhenna Quinn Lewis, Bookends II, oil, 10 x 20. Jhenna Quinn Lewis, Un Moment de Reflexion, oil, 8 x 6. Just as importantly, the birds gave her an expanded visual language to convey those things that were deeply important to her: a reverence for nature, a sense of mystery, the enchanting and sometimes whimsical quality of fairy tales and fables, and the poignant beauty of imperfection and impermanence. This and the works that followed were very well received, bringing Lewis new gallery representation and increased interest, and her works now hang in museum, corporate, and private collections around the country. What emerged was a delicate still life of calla lilies, candles with flickering flames, white bowls, a white cloth-and a sparrow. It needed to express a deeper underlying meaning. The event left her so horrified and saddened, she knew that whatever ended up on her next canvas had to be more than a beautiful picture of fruit. When the Twin Towers fell in New York City, the artist was at home in Oregon working on paintings for an upcoming show. It was September 2001, and the event that ushered in what has become Lewis’ signature subject was anything but quiet or simple. Jhenna Quinn Lewis was already painting still lifes, already honing her images down to an essence of quiet simplicity, when the first songbird fluttered into her work. Get the Southwest Art October 2017 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story. This story was featured in the October 2017 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Jhenna Quinn Lewis, The Theft, oil, 12 x 19.
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