Jen Schultes

Born in Texas, Jen moved to New York in 1995, and then to Montreal in 2001. She is a graphic designer and visual artist, with a Masters degree in Fine Arts from Rutgers University. For the last several years, she has been creating a series of bird sculptures from recycled paper and found objects.

"Birds are marvelous creatures, existing between earth and sky. In my work, they are vessels of freedom and inspiration. Their creation began with my desire to explore and understand self and emptiness.

As I have worked on this series, the materials have become ever more important to the work. It is now essential to me that the majority of my work is made from recycled, found and repurposed materials. It seems that the interconnectedness of all things is somehow re-enacted in this repurposing of old newspapers.

These pieces are the first sculptural works I have made, the first pieces that sit and watch you in space, rather than lying flat on a wall.

Recently, I have been creating functional pieces for the first time. The series of papier-mache art bowls are the result of both my fascination with the technical possibilities of recycled paper and my passion for color. They are made from egg cartons, fruit dividers, and pulped advertising circulars, finished with pieces of old paintings, mosaics of color newspaper images, and watercolor."

In the past Jen has worked in video, printmaking and painting. She has exhibited in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Montreal and Austin.

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