Jen Kiessling (b. Chicago, Illinois) is an abstract painter based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her work addresses discursive thought that can exist, simultaneously, in multiple languages. Personal stories and metaphors that have a universal connection to generations of immigration are expressed through a geometric painting language that is a portal for the viewer. A substrate of Italian and Latin ephemera, grocery bags and specific food-related packaging held together with tape is a conceptual and material foundation for the work's content.

The history of abstraction is undeniably visible. Formalities of abstraction and the intimacies of being raised as an Italian American, seemingly separate entities, are woven within the existence of the work. This expression seeks to strike the universal chord of living in and out of a culture of metaphor and mysticism; stumbling uncomfortably through life, denying particular truths of the self. Layers of time are revealed, illustrating the compartmentalization of a state of being that oozes from cracks in daily life.

“In these small works, I like to defy standard expectations of presentation and access for the viewer. Gouache and graphite pull the viewer into a place between painting and drawing. The material and structure of my work is inspired by the visual plane of a prayer book dedicated to orphans, hand-made by my grandfather;  I like the work to be frameless, floating, transient - moving.”

Jennie has an MA from the University of Chicago and a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work is in private collections, shown locally, and nationally, and has been published by Phaidon Press. She has received NEA and NEH grants, is a Ucross Fellow, and was a 2023 nominee for the Joan Mitchell Fellowship. Jen has taught for the Art Education Department of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Art Departments of Colorado State University, the University of Wyoming, and Naropa University. She has also served as Lead Faculty for Visual and Media Arts at Front Range Community College, Ft. Collins, Colorado as well as an adjunct faculty member. In addition, she served as Assistant Director for the Division of Continuing Studies (SAIC), Cultural Enrichment Manager for the Chicago Park District, Communications Coordinator for the Wyoming Arts Council, and Assistant Director of the Hatton Gallery at Colorado State University.