jennifer frances BA (Hons)
Statement
My work explores memory, childhood, silence and the things we carry long after we have learned to hide them.
I am interested in the space between what is seen and what remains unseen — the emotions, experiences and fragments of memory that can be difficult to put into words. Much of my work is rooted in looking back at childhood from an adult perspective, exploring vulnerability, disconnection and the lasting imprint of experiences that were not understood at the time.
I often return to themes of identity, absence and the search for a voice. Faces, figures and fragments appear and disappear within layers of paint, reflecting the way memories can be both vivid and indistinct. I use muted tones, darkness, texture and areas of exposed or unfinished surface to create a sense of stillness and emotional tension.
There is also a movement towards something gentler within the work — towards recognition, acceptance and becoming. What was once difficult to see can begin to be acknowledged.
For me, painting has become a way of giving form to things that were once wordless. It is a process of uncovering, pausing and making space for what has been carried quietly for a long time.
Biography
Jenny Frances is a contemporary artist whose work explores memory, childhood, identity and the quiet emotional experiences that can remain with us into adulthood.
Working intuitively with paint, texture and layered surfaces, Jenny creates atmospheric figurative works that explore the space between what is visible and what is felt. Her paintings often consider silence, vulnerability and the fragments of memory that are difficult to articulate.
Her practice is deeply personal, drawing on lived experience while leaving room for the viewer to find their own meaning within the work. Through muted tones, darkness, light and moments of stillness, Jenny seeks to bring unseen experiences into a visible form.
Her work is ultimately concerned with connection — to the past, to ourselves, and to the parts of us that are still unfolding.