Jennifer Ricketts-Swales

I have always been drawn to collage work, honestly, I have a short attention span. So while I was young and my mother was creating quilts and wool hooked rugs, I watched her, she inspired me, but I just couldn’t sit that long. Collage work can be started and stopped but you can see progress. It is also a forgiving art. If I don’t like it I can cover it up. 

So while I dabbled in collages work and some other hobbies while my two children were growing up, I never really hit on the right creative process. Meanwhile, I worked as a school counselor, which I loved, but it was often sad work.

Then COVID hit. My husband and I were home in a small town. My students were all over the place, and the teachers I worked with felt powerless. Everything seemed frantic, and my poor husband was listening to me on the phone or on zoom, calming everyone down. I needed an outlet so I didn’t make him more crazy than I already was. That is when I started painting with paper. The first picture I created was our own dog, my husband was very supportive, as the art progressed. He helped me determine prospective and adjust noses. He also put up with paper all over the floor, and he still does.

My work is a mix of trying to create beautiful works without adding more garbage to the environment. I try to recycle as much as possible. I shop at thrift stores for boards, and clothing;  people give me their magazines. I try to reuse as much as possible, which is totally inspired by my now adult children, who both teach/inspire me about the environment on a daily basis. 

About the name: P is not for the flower, although my grandmother grew them and I loved them. P stands for paper, petals, painting, popcorn, ……. And for my mother, Pearl. At the time of this writing, she is 94 years yo