How would you define your personal sense of design style and what are your design influences?

My influences come from travel and study. It sounds cliché, but things speak to you and if they linger in your mind you know you should buy. I don't impulse shop. I consider my home a stage set where the events of life play themselves out. No need for high drama, but it’s relaxing to look at a rug, painting, lamp or chair and wonder who was its creator and what went into crafting that object. I especially love antiques and the mystery to unravel in one’s mind is never-ending.

When it comes to your surroundings, what can’t you live without?

Art, good fabrics, real wood furniture, and handmade rugs

AJ (owner of Pfeifer Studio) mentioned you used to work for Ralph Lauren in NYC. What did you do and does this have an impact on your design style or art?

I was a design director in charge of fabric by the yard and wallpaper. Working there was a master's degree in design. I was immersed in varied points of interest from architecture, furniture design, store design to marketing. I learned the idea of a room telling a story.

Speaking of art… Tell me about your art.

Fashion photography is a potent and seductive form of representation. The images often communicate style as the only factor forming identity. They represent fantasy that can never be attained. I focus on style as a sublime element that has the power to create tension as well as beauty. To the fashion industry, beauty is a commodity but to the individual, style is a never ending problem. In my paintings, I present the conflict.

The unexpected relationships formed in my paintings, tell a mythological narrative that represents the complex relationships between iconic cultural symbols and personal philosophy. The relationship of women to themselves and their environment fuel the narratives within my paintings. They form binary oppositions between the images: nature/culture, stationary/movement and fetishism/ indifference.

I dismantle the roles and stereotypes of beauty and femininity. Specifically I focus on the anxiety created, when there is a divide between what women own and who they are. I examine the psychology that leads women to go to extremes to maintain beauty and style.

The culture of sentiment that exists between the viewer and the female figures stimulates the subject of my work. To heighten the eroticism, my women are surrounded by rich textures such as fur, pearls, velvet and satin. I use these textures to comment on a class structure based on style.

What inspires you most as an artist?

Music and film. I would like to think I mix Jane Austin with Stanley Kubrick.

Do I see a vintage or retro flair to your paintings?

There is a nod to all periods of fashion. I tend to pick out eras that heightened the sense of femininity.

Who is your favorite artist or what artists inspire you the most?

Art that transcends its generation and its medium inspires me the most. I look to Louise Bourgeois, Mathew Barney, [and] Cindy Sherman among others.

Do you have a favorite painting from your collection?

The most recent finished work is always my favorite at the moment.

Erika As Elk, 60 x 48", Oil on Canvas (2010)

Is there a particular reason you chose “Erika as Elk” to share with Pfeifer readers, and what do you want to tell us about it?

The work comes from a series inspired by the local women's rugby team. I convinced them to "play" in my backyard. I wanted to blur the lines between the stereotypical male/female, passive/aggressive, scarcity/abundance, teamwork/self preserving, erotic/athletic and animalistic/humanistic. Instead of the rugby stripes, I wrapped them in sports tape. The extreme physicality reminded me of our animalistic tendencies which lead me to think of these women acting out these tendencies. "Erika as Elk" was named as a thought of reverting back to our primal nature. She is a new one, so I thought a good time to expose her. She is 60" x 48" oil on canvas 2010.

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Jennifer received her MA from New York University and her MFA from the University of New Mexico. She has exhibited her work extensively in her home state of New Mexico, as well as frequently showing in New York and Los Angeles. She has also been included in group shows throughout Europe. For more information about Jennifer Nehrbass please visit: jennifernehrbass.com.

Posted By: Angela (loftshoppe@gmail.com)

Labels: Art, Clients Who Inspire Us, designers and artists