Jenny Scobel facts for kids

Jenny Scobel (born in 1955) is an American artist. She is known for her unique paintings. Jenny lives and works in New York City. She often paints pictures of women and children. Her art mixes feelings of innocence with a touch of mystery or darkness. Her works have been sold at famous art auctions like Christie's and Sotheby's.

Jenny Scobel's Early Life and Education

Jenny Scobel was born in Orrville, Ohio. She grew up in Mentor, also in Ohio. Jenny studied art at two well-known schools. She earned her first art degree, a Bachelor of Fine Arts, from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Later, she received her Master of Fine Arts degree from the Pratt Institute. Today, Jenny Scobel lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Exploring Jenny Scobel's Paintings

Jenny Scobel creates portraits and paintings of people. She focuses on children and women. Her art often shows innocent-looking faces. But these faces are set against backgrounds or details that hint at a deeper, sometimes unsettling, story. This mix of innocence and mystery makes her art very interesting. It gives her paintings a "disarming perspective."

One example is her painting Family tree. It shows a young girl with her hands in her pockets. Behind her, there is a tree and what looks like running blood. This creates a powerful and complex image. Jenny often uses wax and graphite in her artwork. A journalist named Kristin Capp has compared Jenny's style to that of another artist, Romaine Brooks.

Raphael Rubinstein, an art critic, once said that Jenny Scobel pays amazing attention to detail. He noted that she paints her subjects, often thoughtful young women, against very detailed wallpaper. These backgrounds seem to show what the women are thinking. It's almost as if their dreams have come to life in the painting. Jenny also gives talks about her art. For example, she spoke at the School of Art at Illinois State. She has shared that Kerry James Marshall is her favorite artist.

Notable Artworks by Jenny Scobel

Jenny Scobel has created many artworks over the years. Here are a few examples of her paintings:

• Untitled man, painted in 1993, using oil on panel.
• One Rose, created in 1995.
• Blue veil, from 2003-2004, made with graphite, wax, and watercolor on masonite. This piece was sold at Sotheby's in 2009.
• Words fell, from 2005, using graphite, wax, and watercolor on gessoed board. It was sold at Christie's, London, in 2013.
• All that before, created in 2006, shown at Zeno X Gallery in Antwerp.
• Among friends, also from 2006, displayed at Zeno X Gallery.
• Just the same, from 2006, made with graphite, wax, and watercolor on gessoed board.
• Untitled girl, an etching and drypoint from 2006.
• Day at a time, from 2009, shown at Zeno X Gallery.
• Family tree, from 2012, also at Zeno X Gallery.
• What the last man took, from 2013.

Her artworks are also part of public collections. You can find them at the Hudson Valley for Contemporary Art in New York. They are also at the Rubell Family Collection in Miami, Florida.

Where Jenny Scobel's Art Has Been Shown

Jenny Scobel's art has been displayed in many exhibitions since the mid-1980s.

Solo Exhibitions

She has had several shows where only her work was featured. These "solo shows" include:

• Galerie der Stadt Backnang in Backnang, Germany, in 2006.
• Michel Soskine, Madrid, in 2010.
• Kendall School of Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
• Thomas Erben Gallery in New York City.
• "Unsolved Mysteries" at Molloy College, Rockville Centre, New York, in 1999.
• Zeno X in Antwerp, Belgium.

Group Exhibitions

Jenny Scobel's art has also been shown alongside other artists' works. These "group exhibitions" have taken place in cities like London, New York, and Chicago. In 2004, she was part of a special exhibition in Germany. It was called "Sagt holde Frauen: 15 zeitgenössische Kunstlerinnen und das Medium Zeichnung" at the Fridericianum in Kassel.