Makers & Mentors: Jena Thomas

Contemplative. Nature. 46”x48”, oil on canvas, 2025

Human. Nature.

Whether consciously or subconsciously, the innate drive to “make our mark” on the world motivates my work. I paint fictional landscapes. I strive to create a luscious otherworld where the imagined is always entangled with the observed. 

My most recent work explores human nature’s subtle inborn drive to discover, construct, and challenge the natural world. I am interested in how human beings "idealize" what nature is and use this as a basis to create artificial environments for ourselves to exist within.

Constructs such as string lights, fountains, and courtyards further highlight my interest in our urge to elevate the mundane as a means to make the world seem a little more spiritual and to find the connection and magic in everyday experiences. Through a collision of styles ranging from flat modernist geometric structures and romantic painterly gesture, I want to question this unusual world we have created for ourselves, where the disparate images of nature and the man-made co-exist.

I am an artist that loves the process of making. Although I have focused much of my interest in discovering what painting is capable of, what I like about teaching is that I am able to share parts of my personality and skills that do not always make it into my art. I have found that ideas and technique go hand in hand. It is critical that students discover the interests that drive their work. It is this commitment that will motivate them throughout their careers. I remind my students that their backgrounds, experiences and cultures matter and it is their unique perspective that makes a concept interesting.

I believe an artist can really begin to understand their practice once knowledge of craft has been achieved, they have grown confident with their own ideas and they have begun to develop an understanding of where their art sits within historical context. For an artist these three ingredients are always evolving and as a teacher I want my students to be able to think critically about these processes while also being able to identify and articulate them as they apply to their own work.

Jena Thomas

Associate Professor of Painting and Drawing

Converse University

Web: www.Jenathomasart.com