Jennifer Susan Jones
Jennifer Susan Jones is a Southern California-based mixed media artist, expressive arts therapist, arts advocate, and former arts writer. She is a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (lic # 147563) and Registered Sandplay Practitioner. In Sandplay therapy, clients use a sand tray and miniature objects to represent their inner, often unconscious, aspects of Self. Jennifer has undergone her own personal Sandplay process with a Jungian Analyst / Sandplay therapist, as part of her training and personal development. The act of creating (and witnessing) “little worlds in boxes” influences her style of mixed media assemblage art, as does her lifelong love of dioramas. Many of her cigar box pieces are surreal, fantastic snapshots into worlds that reflect her love of science fiction and fantasy. She also makes larger-sized (often illuminated) jewelry mosaics using vintage jewelry and mixed media.
Jennifer enjoys exercise, and often comes up with ideas for new projects during her workouts. She is inspired by the assemblage work of well-known artists such as Louise Nevelson and Joseph Cornell, as well as the diverse artwork produced by artist associates. In this increasingly virtual, fast-paced world, she holds dear the old fashioned arts of magic, stop-motion animation, and puppetry, and strives to create work based on the same principles: using physical manipulation, illumination, and atmosphere to evoke feelings of enchantment and childlike wonder.
Jennifer’s role as a therapist provides her with a deep understanding of emotions and human nature, which aided her interview process with creatives. Her former position as a freelance arts writer gave her the opportunity to visit galleries and artists’ studios and speak intimately with artists about their creative processes. The position provided her with a platform in which she could help promote lesser-known artists as well as showcase her passion for arts writing. Jennifer's latest endeavor is writing poetry, working in her art journal, and training in Relational Life Therapy.