Check Out Jennifer Nelson’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Nelson.

Hi Jennifer, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Creativity and aesthetic interests were definitely part of my childhood. I loved to draw, sew, embroider and curate collections of objects (mostly horse figurines). My mother has always been creative and a maker. She would sew for me the most amazing 80’s matching shirt and shorts outfits as well as dresses. She was always rearranging the furniture layout of our home and crafting decor to create the look she wanted. My Nana was also very influential. She was talented artistically and musically. She taught me to sketch, hand sew doll clothes and make paper dolls. My Great Grandmother was a hand quilter. She had a large frame that filled the entire space of a spare room of her house where ladies in her community would gather to quilt. I was absolutely fascinated by this when we would visit her. My love of antique and vintage objects definitely derives from the women in my family. Antiquing with my mom, aunt and Nana are fond childhood memories. My paternal grandmother also nurtured my old object love by accommodating my frequent requests to climb into her stuffy attic and daydream over tucked away family treasures from the past.

This creative energy since childhood led me to major in Interior Design at Missouri State University. As a student I was fortunate to land an internship with the in-house hospitality design department of John Q. Hammons Hotels. I worked with a wonderful team who executed both the new construction of hotels and the renovation of existing properties. I started out keeping their library up to date and eventually worked my way to managing a few small,local property renovation projects on my own. The team was wonderful to work with and I learned so much from each of them. The most influential team member for me as a student designer was the mentorship of Julie Russell, a talented hospitality designer. Through example, she taught me the balancing act of holding creativity at a high standard along with professionalism and attention to detail in equal measure. The lessons I learned from Juile have stayed with me throughout my career.

In my early twenties I relocated to Kansas City. I lived just off the Plaza. I could look across Southmoreland Park and see the Nelson-Atkins Museum out my living room windows. Living in such close proximity to Kemper Art Museum and the Nelson-Atkins was wonderful. I could pass through galleries for a quick look at something specific for inspiration, or I could take in a leisurely viewing of the entire museum, whichever time allowed.

During my time in Kansas City I was extremely lucky to have been put in touch with the wonderful residential designer, Dani James, of Crossroads Interiors. I became her assistant and she became the most influential mentor and practically second mother any young woman could hope for. Dani opened up a level of interior design to me that I would never have been exposed to if I had not come to work for her. Her taste, and appreciation of beauty are of the highest caliber, but what makes her stand out the most, is the incredible relationships she develops with her clients. I was truly blessed to work and learn from her at such a pivotal point in my development as a creative.

One of the many aspects of truly curated interior design that Dani exposed me to, was the placement of original art in her clients’ homes. Kansas City has an amazing art scene and she took me to galleries to select art for her clients. Once you see the power of how original art elevates a space, you can never go back to mass produced art again. Original art, at any price point, truly brings its own unique soul to a space and invites an internal dialogue with those who view it.

In my twenties while working as an assistant at Crossroads Interiors, I was also freelancing. I worked with clients on a wide variety of projects. I did a historically based design renovation for an attorney’s office in the Holland building on the square in Springfield, Missouri. I designed the new build offices and common spaces for a company outside of Rogersville, Missouri. I worked with a home builder in Liberty, Missouri to design their model homes.

At this time in my life I also fell in love, became engaged and relocated to San Diego, California. This was in 2007, when the housing market was crashing and it was being felt hard on the west coast. Designers were being laid off and no one was looking to hire. I took time off from design to get married and settle into our new home together. Eventually I worked in an office doing admin until the birth of our first child. Within a few months of the arrival of our son, we relocated back to Missouri.

We bought our first home in Neosho, a charming 1930’s style cottage house. This is where my journey of being a stay at home mother and a DIY remodeler started. Over the years we added two daughters to our family and lovingly updated our home. Eventually we relocated again to the Springfield area for my husband’s career. We purchased a mid-century home on a lovely piece of property. We have been remodeling it over the past few years while raising our family.

Over time my design aesthetic has developed into a very curated, vintage and art based style. Sustainability is extremely important to me and I truly believe great spaces can be created without compromising a commitment to trying to lead a less consumptive lifestyle. Almost every item in my home is antique, vintage, or second hand. I think the most interesting spaces are those that are slowly built up over time, include original art and showcase pieces that mean something to the person who resides there. Trendy and new are not words I like to use in my design vocabulary. Curated, soulful, and intentional are the descriptive words I like to work within.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A few years ago I began to struggle with anxiety and how to channel my creative energy. Remodeling our homes, throwing themed birthday parties and making elaborate Halloween costumes was just not cutting it anymore. I knew something had to change and so I started my own version of the 5 am club. I carved out one hour each morning before my family arose, and began teaching myself to paint. This act of creating an art practice was what I had desperately needed. I continued to protect my art practice even as our youngest went off to school and I began to work within the interior design field again after 13 years of staying home with our children.

My husband and family have been very supportive of my artistic pursuits. I slowly gained confidence in my painting and began to show through an incredible local organization, the Springfield Regional Arts Council. They are a non-profit arts council that supports performing and visual artists in the community. They have a gallery space and monthly rotating shows. Over time, by showing with SRAC, I developed a small painting portfolio and began to experiment in other mediums.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
One of the mediums I began to explore was rug punching, which derives from rug hooking. I had seen the Instagram feed of the talented Rose Pearlman, who had recently written the book, Modern Rug Hooking. I purchased the book and taught myself to rug punch. This book changed my life as an artist. I submitted a punched piece for the Annual Member’s Show at SRAC and was selected to be part of the yearly “You Should Know” showcase. This showcase is an opportunity for a few chosen artists to present a collection of work. In creating this collection I pushed myself technically and began to truly develop my personal style of punched fiber art.

The pieces I created for the showcase gave me a body of work to pull from and allowed me to show in more locations. I started to enter and be selected for juried shows. I began to show and sell my work in several galleries. One gallery where I am currently showing my work is Leawood Fine Art in Leawood, Kansas. I have been rotating pieces into the gallery in several mediums. In my art practice I currently paint in acrylics, work in an eggshell inlay technique coupled with painting and work in fiber.

Sharing my artist statement might be the best way to describe my work and influences:

“I am a self-taught fiber artist and painter. As a fiber artist, my medium is hand rug punching wool and cotton yarns on ground cloth of linen or cotton. My preference is to work in natural fibers with sustainable tools. This slow to emerge, methodic art form connects me to a rich history of American folk artists who have come before me.

However, my compositions are mostly abstract, geometric and linear forms. I am influenced by the Art Deco, Bauhaus and Brutalist movements. I find the balance between positive and negative space in these forms to be a compelling place to explore.

As a painter I work in acrylic, sometimes with the addition of eggshell. The eggshell, like my fiber work, is a deliberate, detailed process much like piecing together an intricate puzzle. These paintings are often the original inspiration for my fiber pieces.”

Artistically, I continue to develop my painting style and work with the eggshell technique to create a unique textural style. I am creating a new punched fine art collection showcasing beautiful hand dyed yarns discovered on a family trip to Taos, New Mexico. I am in the process of making a collection of decorative arts pieces: rugs, pillows and punched piece upholstered chairs/benches/stools. I have made a few handbag and clothing punched pieces with plans for an entire wearable art collection. I am researching to begin teaching myself to weave tapestry and spin yarn. There are so many creative pursuits I want to try in my lifetime. I am a firm believer in lifelong learning and personal evolution. I am always looking for creative inspiration. It is all around us, from a color palette found in nature in my own yard to museum trips during family travels. My personal mantra is “All the Beautiful Things”. Surround yourself in creating or appreciating beauty of all forms in your daily life.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
My original artwork is available for purchase. Commissions are available to create orignial pieces. I love collaborating with fellow interior designers for both fine art works and decorative art pieces such as hand punched rugs, pillows and small upholstered pieces.

My artwork and interior styling can be viewed through my Instagram: jennifernelsonstudios
Currently I have pieces showing at Leawood Fine Art in Leawood, Kansas.
I have an Etsy shop where my smaller scale work is available for purchase.

I am in the process of developing a shoppable website for my original artwork, curated vintage collections and interior design services.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: jennifernelsonstudios
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-nelson-169939378/
• Other: Etsy Shop: https://jennifernelsonstudio.etsy.com