Today we’d like to introduce you to JEANINE BABYAK.
Hi JEANINE, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
JEANINE BABYAK
Jeanine is a self-taught artist who is passionate about color and concentrates mostly on acrylics and mixed media paintings, though her interests and experience are varied and wide. One pique interest of hers entails the rich experiences and cultural exchanges added to our lives by travel.
Having traveled internationally for most of her growing up years as a “military brat”, adapting and adopting other cultures and languages, and making friends quickly was the name of the game until moving to the U.S. in time for high school.
Many years later, as a homeschooling mother who helped establish a large homeschool co-op, she then instilled this love of learning about other cultures and civilizations to her own kids. From curriculum design of studio projects for grades 3-8 based on world history lessons, to costume design, prop creation, mural painting, interior design and textile arts, Jeanine has found “making” as a way of life through various seasons. She’s even published several illustrated children’s books and a few therapeutic interactive coloring journals.
One of her latest collections entails paintings and mixed media pieces inspired by her daughter AnaMichele’s world photography, bringing us Colibrí TravelArt. (The word Colibrí means Hummingbird in Spanish and describes aptly the experience of the traveler’s gleaning from each journey and experience to add to a life story.)
There is a tale behind each journey and adventure, behind the experience that is living… she wants to bring back those memories of yours and immortalize the moments you probably have in photo archives, into a forever work of art.
Jeanine intends for her art to be felt deeply and experienced beyond a glance, evoking varied emotions and connection. Drawn to fibers, textures and lively colors, Jeanine aims her art to call out to you, draw you in and tempt you to touch the realistic textures in her paintings. Bright colors convey joy, crisp air and excitement sometimes, and other times her tones evoke intense rawness and depth.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Life, confidence, and changes in roles are all speed bumps in the journey. Raising kids and homeschooling them, feeling that your “crafts” hobby is not worthy of a dedicated space, immersing yourself in developing curriculum and teaching kids, … they were all stepping stones to the place where I am today. Provision was always a challenge and I over-filled my plate with many responsibilities until the last few years.
Now that I am an empty nester and my girls and grandchildren have moved far away, I dedicate most of my time to creating and networking. One day maybe I can have a studio space that welcomes others to learn and co-create.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am most proud of the freedom I’ve developed to enjoy my love of vibrant colors, breezy destinations and imperfect, free style of painting. I love to explore new methods and incorporate other ingredients in my paintings to make them come alive and tempt you to reach out and touch them. My paintings and their colors communicate happiness, freedom, joyful musical destinations, and deep intense feeling. I hope to bring out a smile in others and a nostalgia of the places I paint. I work in much detail, sometimes in small pieces, and have also worked big as in murals.
What were you like growing up?
I was and an extrovert, but we moved around a lot in the military life, not keeping lifelong friendships. I was always interested in the arts, having joined choir in 6th grade, languages all throughout middle school and high school, drama, and four years of art in high school in Virginia.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @inspireddezignz
- Facebook: Jeanine Babyak
