Jenny Day

Artist Jenny Day creates far-out works about resilience—equal parts playful, wounded, and celebratory.

“There was a time when I ached for the world. Before cell phones, before social media, I felt the urgency of environmental damage, of social injustice. Grim and determined and ready to fight. Since then, nothing has gotten better. I’m not numb to it, but in some way I’ve become flippant. It’s a resigned humor like a layer of scar tissue between my concerns and the abrasion all around. Add to this the isolation and fear of the last year. Still, I was surprised at how playful my work has become.

Disasters intertwine: gas explosions, torrential floods, the aftermath of hurricanes. Animals mutate, create nests out of toxic flora, lily pads ooze neon green. Coyotes leap over reflections of fire, horses are stranded on ice, farmhouses sink into hot pink algae blooms in primal dream motifs.

The work is about resilience. Playful, wounded, and celebratory, made in what feels like ridiculous times when even our most serious problems are met with unserious responses, absurd politics, and social media noise—all sound and fury. Watch the planet heat. Click, like, on to the next thing. Watch the cities flood. Post about the West burning. Count the likes. The coyote calculates his next move.”

Day earned an MFA in painting from the University of Arizona, a BFA in painting from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and a BA in environmental studies from the University of California Santa Cruz. She has exhibited nationally and internationally.