Lorri-Marie Jenkins has a code name, Winging It, because it's how she approaches life and her art. “I very seldom have a plan, and when I do, I have no idea how I am going to get there,” admits Jenkins. “There is a freedom in not knowing because then there are no rules that I have to follow.”
Jenkins spent decades raising her four boys and running her own vegetarian catering business, Some Enchanted Eatings. Benician's may remember her tasty treats from Farmers Market in the 1990s or First Street Cafe before that.
She began creating found object art in 2004 as a self-taught artist. “I find that I do my best when I am surrounded by thought-provoking junk,” she says. Her early works were heavy mosaics made of found pieces, silicon glue and grout. Because her art was heavy and hard to move, Jenkins moved on to making life-sized dresses out of bottle caps. “It allowed a lot of meditation time,” she says.
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Jenkins fell in love with all types of texture; fabric, paper collage, water colors, acrylic and assorted ephemera. “The more mediums I could put in one piece, the happier I was,” says Jenkins. She moved on to making one-of-a-kind monster dolls and mixed media two-dimensional pieces, using books, fabric and her own flavor of animated characters. Her artwork is a pure expression of her own colorful, playful personality.
Now Jenkins finds herself in her studio every chance she gets. “Cooking and cleaning have been pushed aside, with playtime being the most important,” she says. She now teaches a mixed media class through Arts Benicia. “That has given me the opportunity to share my experiences with others and learn more about myself…not always easy either.”
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“I love spending time with other women artists. I find them juicy and full of inspiration,” says Jenkins. “My life is fuller than I ever could have imagined…and I love playing with others!”
Unbelievably, Jenkins is now a grandmother, so she is influencing the next generation. She is still a favorite as a crew member at Trader Joe's in Concord, where she can be spotted wearing her signature patch-collection jeans and striped socks.
Jenkins has exhibited her art in various venues around the Bay Area. As a member of , she will be participating in the upcoming this weekend.
