'Heart Leaf' by Jennifer Allnutt

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Jennifer Allnutt is a young artist based in Melbourne, Australia. Art has been a pivotal part of her life since childhood nurtured by her grandfather but it was 2007 when she first discovered her love for oil painting and since then she hasn’t been able to put her paintbrush down. She graduated from the University of South Australia with a Bachelor of Visual Arts (First Class Honours) in 2011.

Jennifer constructs images which straddle the line between realism and illusionism. In her surrealistic portraits she explores the uncanny, the unconscious mind, transformation and identity. Her works often grapple to find a way to visually express feelings and desires that we repress. Finding inspiration in dreams, mythology, personal experiences and conversations; Jennifer creates portraits that operate as carriers for her musings. There is unquestionably a drive in her work to tell a story or weave an ambiguous narrative. This is found by the subtle hints in symbolic objects, clothing, facial expressions or even a small gesture. She uses juxtaposition to consider divisions between the mind/body, man/nature and reality/representation. The works themselves are often bold figures or busts, seemingly suspended in time with small surrealistic interventions and a deep, penetrating gaze.

@jennyallnuttart