Jennyfer Stratman grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1992 she commenced her studies at Arizona State University majoring in visual arts and art education. Stratman entered academia as a ceramicist. With each passing semester, the scale of her creations expanded and the material limitations of working with clay ultimately led her to the university foundry. This opened a door into another world of creative possibilities, profoundly changing her artistic direction. She replaced fired clay with larger-scale bronze, steel, and mixed media sculptures yet retained a delicacy, intimacy, and intricacy imbued from the ceramic process.
There is a metaphorical interplay between the natural imagery Stratman uses and its multiple meanings. While the human figure features strongly, it is the essence of the body that is important to her, not the representation. Particularly, the artist imagines trees and branches as a figurative link between the natural environment and our physical presence. The implied internal landscape of the body can also be reflected in how our surroundings from birth affect our sense of identity. By exploring landscapes of the body and mind, she also hopes to comment on the larger picture of our impact on the natural world.
Today she is a full-time established artist with studios operating in Phoenix, Arizona and Melbourne, Australia. Her time is divided between the two countries with each location informing and influencing the creative process. She has exhibited in 33 solo exhibitions and over 100 group exhibitions nationally and internationally. Her sculptures, gracing both indoor sanctuaries and the vast expanse of outdoor landscapes, find sanctuary in public and private collections across the globe including the United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Israel, England, and Europe.
Through this intricate dance of form and concept, Jennyfer Stratman beckons viewers into a realm where the boundaries between self and nature blur, inviting contemplation on humanity's profound impact on the world that cradles it.
