ART STATEMENT

Jenny Mehrtens is an Arrowtown based artist, primarily a painter, she has had several group and solo exhibitions and her work can be found in private collections worldwide. 

My art has always been about connection.

Connection to people.

Connection to memory.

Connection to nature.

And connection to place.  

When people ask me where the ideas come from, I often go right back to childhood. I grew up spending long periods outdoors in southern New Zealand — in forests, creeks, fields, and bushland. We didn’t need much to entertain ourselves. Nature was the entertainment. We noticed textures, leaves, feathers, stones, insects, water patterns, birdlife. Those experiences stayed with me deeply and eventually became the foundation of many of my series, especially the Elemental works.  

In the Elemental series, I’m trying to capture wonder — the wonder of finding a four-leaf clover, watching fantails dart through the bush, or seeing sycamore seeds spinning in the wind. They’re small moments, but they shape us. I think many of us are longing to reconnect with those simpler feelings again.  

Another major influence in my work is identity and belonging here in New Zealand.

Series like Making Their Mark and the Hei Tiki works explore heritage, ancestry, and cultural connection. I’m fascinated by the way symbols carry meaning through generations. I think living in New Zealand gives us a unique relationship with land and identity. We’re surrounded by powerful landscapes and layered histories. I try to honour that in the work without becoming overly literal. I want the paintings to feel contemporary while still carrying echoes of history and memory.

One of the things I enjoy most is hearing what people see in the work, because everyone brings their own story to it.

Some people connect emotionally to the colour.

Some to the symbolism.

Some to the nostalgia.

Some simply because a painting makes them feel calm or joyful.

That’s one of the beautiful things about art — once it leaves the studio, it begins a new relationship with the person who lives with it.

The You Are Loved series came from exactly that kind of emotional place. During a time when the world felt quite divided and uncertain, those three words just kept appearing in my mind: You Are Loved. I wanted to create work that was unapologetically optimistic. Bold colour, connection between the letters, energy, warmth — reminders of love, community, and hope.  

I think people sometimes underestimate how important beauty and positivity are. Art can change the atmosphere of a room, but it can also change the emotional atmosphere of our lives.

That’s why I love hearing where my paintings end up — family homes, gathering spaces, hallways people walk past every day. Art becomes part of daily life.

Commissions are also a very special part of my practice. Some of my favourite works have come from collaborating with families and creating deeply personal pieces. Whether it’s a Life Lines work representing family relationships, or a portrait containing subtle symbols and stories, I love helping people turn memories and meaning into something visual and lasting.  

The Life Lines series in particular explores the idea that no person exists in isolation. Each line represents a life, and every life affects another. Families are interconnected systems — just like patterns in nature.  

I’m also very interested in the balance between tradition and technology. That’s where my Q-ARTcode series came from — combining hand-painted art with QR technology that links to videos, messages, memories, or stories. I liked the idea that a painting could contain hidden layers that only reveal themselves through interaction.  

At the heart of all of it, though, is storytelling.

Whether it’s a fantail, a huia feather, a portrait, a hei tiki, or abstract patterning — I’m always asking:

What story does this hold?

What memory does it carry?

What feeling can it awaken?

And I think that’s why original art matters so much.

In a world that is increasingly fast and digital, original art asks us to slow down. To notice texture. Reflection. Detail. Emotion. Presence.

It reminds us to feel something.

I’m incredibly grateful that people choose to live with my work. Every collector, every visitor, every conversation helps sustain not just an art practice, but a creative life.