Welcome to jennhayes.com!

I'm not like most artists who say they were "born" to draw, or started drawing at two, creating inspirational pieces with chubby fingers. All that I knew as a kid I loved wearing out the pages of my Peter Rabbit book and Beatrix Potter was magical. I wanted to be a nurse, a vet, or my mom and play He-Man with my friends.

My illustrations are often lighthearted and filled with a sense of play. I want to create a sense of fun energy that draws the viewer into my work. The world is full of suffering, I think there is no need to illustrate it. Within the last few years, I discovered the art of paper doll making and I believe that this format embodies the sense of lightheartedness that I want to convey.

Though I'm relatively new to gouache, it conveys a softness and approachability that I feel most mediums do not. I can layer color over color and blend the paint with a muted palette to convey subtle emotion. I wanted the hand of the artist to continue to be a part of the aesthetics of my work by leaving sketch marks, Paint flaws and irregular lines.

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