Jenni Dickens

Figure with Water Bottle (2013)
oil on canvas panel
19 x 27 in.

This work is rooted in human longing and the way we define and occupy the physical space around us. I often feel a real struggle between the desire to connect, and the desire to remain hidden. I investigate the idea that human longing can be described by our relationship with wildlife and the animal world. Our impulses and desires become wild entities themselves and our way of connecting with those unpredictable and powerful forces is to exercise a weary control over them.

Through paint, I explore the disconnect that occurs between our interiors and exteriors; ourselves and others; the past and present; the real and imagined; the wild and the domestic. I am intrigued by the idea that these disconnections leave traces— ghosts, creatures, impossible doorways, or entire landscapes— that continually shape our thoughts and experiences.