Jennifer Hartwig
Jennifer discovered scratch art in high school, but life happened, and she set it aside until 2007, when she received a commission from a coworker. After living in Ontario, Canada and California, she now lives in Sisters. Her art ranges from exotic species to birds, horses, cats, and dogs.
Scratchboard is a form of direct engraving. The artist scratches away lines from a solid black panel to reveal the “lights” or white clay surface below. Various tools create different textures, from the hair of a dog to the feathers of an owl or the mane of a horse. All textures are scratches of one form or another. Images can be dramatic in black-and-white, or colored inks can be blended and brushed onto the white clay undersurface, then re-scratched for texture.
Scratchboard art is considered by many artists to be the most difficult of all mediums, as you cannot take an eraser to a mistake. Every line is done by hand, and larger works can take hundreds of hours to complete. But once done, the scratchboard will last a lifetime.
In addition to her creative works, Jennifer specializes in doing pet portraits from your favorite furry friend’s photograph.
Last year, Jennifer acquired a dye-sublimation printing press, and is able to reproduce her art (or yours!) on metal, mugs, and more!
Jennifer shows her work, teaches classes, and takes commissions at Sisters Gallery and Frame Shop.
Click images for larger views
To learn more about Jennifer and her work visit her website.
Jennifer will be at Sisters Gallery & Frame Shop:
222 West Hood Avenue, Suite C, Sisters, Oregon 97759