jen evenhusJEN EVENHUS is the February 2021 Featured Interview Artist for the Pastel Society of Southeast Texas.
She will present an artist demonstration to PSST members on February 6, 2021. Join PSST as a member to enjoy her new desert palette and explore the magic of the desert. |
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PSST: Jen, your website is beautifully laid out. It is with FASO, one of PSST’s partners, but you adapted it well, choosing imaginative categories and headings. Tell us a little about your thought process in designing your website.
JEN: Yes, I have been with FASO for about 6 years now. When I worked full-time, part of my job was website design, so I learned from the ground up through many of the platforms, the last of which was Wordpress, which was sufficient, but it took SO long to update and upload photos of paintings. Then I discovered FASO and found it to be incredibly easy to navigate, but also allows for customization if you want it. When building a website, you must pay attention to SEO – Search Engine Optimization, so people can easily find it. Every major search engine like Google, Bing, and Yahoo provides a list of websites that best answer a search user’s query. These listings are called search results. Being listed at the top in the organic listing is why SEO is so important. Learn more by searching ‘SEO for WEBSITES.’ FASO provides options to implement SEO on their sites. Because I am an artist/designer, the look and feel of my site is important to me. FASO provides many different templates to choose from. And better yet, you are not locked into one template in case you find that, after a couple months of using it, you need a different look or different options, you can easily go into the ‘Templates’ option and choose a new one, and it will automatically change it over, leaving all your information unaffected. |
Marsh Medley by Jen Evenhus
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Working with the Navigation Bar and Drop-Down Menus does take a little practice, but FASO has a good Forum where you can get help and I am told they have great customer service, but I have yet to need it.
FASO makes it super easy to upload your artwork and then go in and edit it. They offer many additional options like Blogs; Newsletters; Marketing help; Contests you can enter; Stats; e-Commerce with a Shopping Cart; a quick link to Blick to purchase Supplies; I get notifications when someone signs up for my newsletter so I can respond; and much more. FASO is truly an incredible value for Artists. I use the Gold Legacy package. You receive 2 Email addresses and up to 1,000 Newsletter subscribers. They charge my credit card monthly and I don’t ever have to think about it. The nice thing about FASO, is they are continually upgrading the site with new features and I can’t remember the last time they increased my monthly rate. |
Daring Dakota Reds by Jen Evenhus
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When designing my site, I wanted to entice visitors with my artwork, so I created the scrolling gallery on the home page. There are also simple menus where they can see Recent Works, Blog Posts, or upcoming Events. These are all options available if you want them. I wanted to be sure people can navigate without too many clicks, so created a comprehensive Navigation Bar with Drop-Down menus where they can easily click on ‘Artwork’ to see even more of my work, Videos, Galleries, and Cards & Posters.
I love to keep my fans and collectors updated with what I am doing, so added a Workshop Page, Studio News, Events, Tips & Tricks, and Articles – plus there’s even a ‘SHOP’ page where you can purchase prints and my latest apron!
Finally, one of the most important things to remember with a website is to keep it updated.
To reiterate: - Use Faso; Keep your website clean; Make navigation easy; Utilize SEO; Update often; Utilize the Newsletter feature; Set up a Blog (if you have time); Take advantage of all FASO FEATURES.
I love to keep my fans and collectors updated with what I am doing, so added a Workshop Page, Studio News, Events, Tips & Tricks, and Articles – plus there’s even a ‘SHOP’ page where you can purchase prints and my latest apron!
Finally, one of the most important things to remember with a website is to keep it updated.
To reiterate: - Use Faso; Keep your website clean; Make navigation easy; Utilize SEO; Update often; Utilize the Newsletter feature; Set up a Blog (if you have time); Take advantage of all FASO FEATURES.
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PSST: Your color palette and mark making! Not often seen in the pastel medium. How do approach each new painting? Is this a well thought out process or intuitive and evolving as you paint?
JEN: My bold color is what I am known for. I am not afraid to throw the color on and adjust later! I have been using my trademarked Brand “The Beauty of Imperfection” for many years now. It means that there is beauty in imperfection. It reminds me of Wabi Sabi – a way of viewing the world that accepts the impermanence and imperfections of our surroundings and existence. My painting style allows for creating chaos and happy little accidents that would never happen if I painted in a super controlled manner. I often begin with a photo or two, or a sketch that has inspired me, and do a few thumbnails to figure out the composition, but not always, since I often simply “paint it in my head.” I then lightly block in the shapes on my pastel paper, paying close attention to composition, which is number one in importance when creating art. I love to use big bold strokes when I first begin a piece, essentially “painting outside the lines.” |
Translucent Triplets by Jen Evenhus
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It’s a blast to utilize my personal mark-making while creating different layers and passages. It’s sometimes like a dance – how I move my arm while laying down a stroke, twisting and turning the stick as it dances over the surface, or use unusual tools to make marks and texture, like my favorite twig or a comb. This is part of the fun of painting with pastel. We can “make a mess” and then easily rein in shapes by using negative painting, cutting in to define and refine the image.
Just because my first strokes may seem random and uncontrolled, doesn’t mean I don’t have a plan. I usually have already planned my composition, what I am leaving in and what I am leaving out, what colors need to go down first, how to layer them to get the effect I want, and all the while, I am thinking ahead, much like I do in Chess. Learning how to play chess will improve your artwork, and give you a lifelong learning challenge. |
Prickly Princess by Jen Evenhus
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Finally, when I say I have a plan in my head, that doesn’t mean that I am locked into the ‘final image,’ rather, I keep an open mind and if my muse leads me in a new direction, I try to listen and follow. That’s when it gets really fun – to see where she leads … often creating a masterpiece that I would never have imagined! We all must learn to recognize the masterpiece and not cover it up!
Click to see more of Jen's work on her website, and don't miss her Tips & Tricks.
"when I say I have a plan in my head, that doesn't mean that I am locked into the 'final image,' rather, I keep an open mind and if my muse leads me in a new direction, I try to listen and follow. "