The result of a year’s work by a Crystal woman, a unique and colorful medley of paintings and mixed-media art, is on display through Jan. 31 at Yellow Door Gallery, located in the shop “by Many Hands” at 3545 Douglas Drive N., Crystal.
Examples of recent work by Jen Theisen, who has a BFA in painting, can be seen at the Web site www.artbyred.com. According to an Artist Statement posted there: “I make art because it makes me feel hungry, I love, obsessed, and gives me a solution. A lot of times it is my way of sorting things out and connecting back to my creator.”
A wife and mother, Theisen said that her work “is figurative, but not necessarily about the form.”
Instead, a figure portrayed in one of her works “is used to evoke an emotion and narrate a story,” she wrote on the Web site. “The physical process of creating is an integral part of my work.”
Painting, sanding, nailing, sewing, collecting and writing ( all are pieces of the solution that is Theisen’s art, she said.
A California native who has lived in Crystal for seven years, she comes from a family of women who sew. Theisen continually looks for objects, fabrics and what others might consider “rubbish” for inclusion in her work.
“Each piece is about longing, perception of self, and/or relationships,” she said.
Theisen avoids the “starving artist” lifestyle with a full-time job in the fixture design department at Target Corp. Working with a team of designers, she helps design fixtures for Marshall Field’s stores, a job that is aided by her strong retail background, she said.
An opening reception for the show was Jan. 4. Theisen’s work will be on display through the end of the month; every piece on display are for sale.
Opened in 1999 by Kris and Patrick Peters, of Crystal, the by Many Hands shop is designed to give local artists “a place to display and sell their works in a supportive and complementary environment,” according to its Web site. The shop in Crystal features the work of more than 100 local and regional artists.
Crafts for sale at the shop include pottery, art dolls, beaded art, baskets, contemporary art quilts, blown and fused glass, hand-turned wood items, weavings, jewelry, soaps, chocolates and more. Artists primarily come from the Twin Cities area, but others are from greater Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin.
Artists who are interested in showing their work are asked to set up an appointment to bring in their work. The owners strongly recommend, however, that artists stop for a visit and explore the shop to see what by Many Hands is all about.
Each month the shop features works by one, two or three of its artists in the Yellow Door Gallery, a formal gallery space within the store. Store hours are 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday; the store is closed each Sunday and Monday.