New art exhibit, Natural Natural Wonders by Sue Jenkins, opens Saturday at Marywood University

SCRANTON — Marywood University’s Suraci Gallery premieres new art exhibit “Natural Natural Wonders” by Sue Jenkins on Saturday, Jan. 28. The nature-inspired art on display includes mixed media, digital collage, and even an art poetry book that all utilize eclectic elements such as handmade marks, botanical illustrations, acrylic paints, and cut paper.

This is Sue Jenkins’ first big solo art exhibition and she can’t wait to unveil this unique collection to the community at the Opening Reception Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m.

Jenkins has been teaching at Marywood University for 12 years and owns her own graphic design company, Luckychair. She holds a BA in Sociology, a Certificate in Web Design, and an MFA in Photography. Jenkins has done it all from fine art photography to front-end development, and now she’s ready to present her latest masterpiece to Northeastern Pennsylvania.

This collection was inspired by nature but also combines digital elements that create a harmony between the two. Jenkins said though she’s been a city-dweller most her life, she felt desperate for nature during the pandemic. She fell in love with it and began filling her artwork with vibrant plants, animals, and color.

“Natural Natural Wonders” feels appropriately well…natural, in a way that goes beyond just plants. Nature has something to offer everybody, and so does this collection.

Jenkins wanted to tap into something everyone aligns with. “I tried to imbue nature in this show to have people identify that we’re really the same. The same things make us happy. The same things can heal us. The same things help us grow and evolve.”

Sue Jenkins believes art should be accessible to everybody. You don’t have to be a snobby fine art connoisseur to partake in self-expression. “Creative expression is salvation, and everyone can do it,” said Jenkins.

“I don’t think it matters what medium someone uses. As long as they are expressing creatively and learning the principles of art, then you can make something with anything,” said Jenkins. “You can be successful even if you never sell any work. If what you’re doing is making work that makes you happy then you are a freakin’ success.”

Sue Jenkins doesn’t believe in good or bad art; she believes in art that evokes a feeling. That’s why she just lets herself explore and see what happens on the canvas. “Everything is intuitive,” said Jenkins of her creative process.

This collection speaks to those values by utilizing techniques such as mark-making, a technique that employs simple methods to create textures and shapes that invite the human eye. “The abstract calls to you,” said Jenkins, explaining that each viewer may be drawn to a different element within the art.

Her art really reflects the future while still rooting itself in nature. Jenkins thinks beyond the frame to get people thinking. You won’t get art quite like this anywhere else in Pennsylvania.

Some of the pieces Jenkins is excited to debut are collage cats that are each a little bit different in their own and digital collage on canvas that she collaborated on with a street photographer. As a photographer herself, Jenkins is used to creating multiple copies but fine art is typically one-of-a-kind. For this exhibition, she opted to do both so that there are multiple ways for people to take a piece of art home.

Par for the course of inclusivity, the gallery exhibits, receptions, and talks are all free and open to the public. “Solunar,” a collaborative work by UNAPXLGETIQ and Eric Bussart, will also open Jan. 28 at the Mahady Gallery next door.

After its big reveal Saturday at the Opening Reception, “Natural Natural Wonders” will remain on display until March 10 at The Shields Center for the Arts at Marywood University. Jenkins will also host a Gallery Talk on Feb. 2 from 2 to 3 p.m.