Waking Up to the World on Fire

Acrylic and oil pastel on canvas, 36 in x 24 in x 1.5 in, 2026

It was one of those doozies of a week where the news went from bad to worse every morning. The feelings of helplessness, yet resolve not to lose the essence of our existence kicked in hard. She arrived boldly and unapologetically with a clear message, resist.

Jen Monteleone is a contemporary abstract painter whose intuitive, high-vibrational canvases navigate the complex architecture of transformation, social justice, and rebirth. Rooted in her perspective as an adoptee, Monteleone’s studio practice functions as a visceral excavation of identity, belonging, and self-worth. She builds dense, tactile surfaces through a compounding choreography of saturated color, raw texture, and illustrative, gestural mark-making—a physical manifestation of personal evolution playing out on the canvas in real time. Each piece acts as a visual prompt for the viewer to decompress, holding space for quiet introspection and peace. She splits her time between studios in Everett and Ventura, California.

Jen retired from a 30-year career in nonprofit leadership and leaned into her authenticity as an artist three years ago. She began painting during the pandemic as a way to find balance and healing. After growing a collection of over 80 completed canvases, Jen held her first solo pop-up gallery in June 2024. Since then, her work has been shown at Art Walk Edmonds - Coldwell Banker Bain, Cafe Louvre, Frances Anderson Center Gallery, Bequest Coffee, and Moonrise Studios.