Art
Photo courtesy of Ivy Ceballo, The Seattle Times
Fine Artist
Jennifer Ewing is a self-taught artist living and working in Seattle, WA. Born and raised in the small, coastal arts community of Port Townsend, WA, she was fascinated at a young age by art, attending art classes throughout primary and secondary school. She chose to pursue a formal education in acting and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. While in New York, she also pursued an informal education in art: regularly haunting the galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, continuing to learn, sketch, and wonder. Ewing now balances her time as an actress, fine artist, and scenic artist–a meeting of her love of painting and theater. (She continues to haunt art museums whenever she can.) She works in a variety of mediums, but is best known for her work in soft pastels. Her work is inspired by the works of Mary Cassatt, Claude Monet, Alphonse Mucha and John Singer Sargent: her work blends these influences - women’s stories, the beauty of the natural world, the intimacy of portraiture, and the ethereal and organic forms of Art Nouveau.
Nude Study in Blue 2024
19 x 26 in, pastel on sanded paper
Pacific Sunset 2025
9 x 12 in, pastel on sanded paper
“I seek to craft art that tells an intimate story – little moments that build to create an impression, a memory, a close experience rather than a grand epic: the glance of an eye; the curve of a branch; warm light on cool water. I am constantly inspired by the natural world - the vast and the minute. I am also inspired by women, in all phases of life. I enjoy engaging in the tactile nature of pastel. I’m continually exploring the diverse ways pastels can be used to create shape, texture, and light - simultaneously subtle and dramatic. My goal is to create art that is transportive, evocative, and approachable. My works are a meditation on a moment, a feeling, a thought, a mood.”
Scenic Artist
Jennifer fell into scenic painting after college, blending her love of art and theater when a friend needed a mural backdrop for their play. She started painting backdrops, flats and art prop pieces. It was a way to stay connected to the theater community between acting projects, and a chance to paint. As the project offers got bigger and more involved, Jennifer was learning on the go: applying basic knowledge of fine art techniques, scaling them up, gaining new techniques and skills through research and trial and error. Little by little she built a tandem career, now as a Scenic Charge, regularly painting entire sets for professional theatrical productions.
