I'm interested in 'the glimpse' and the way that partially obscuring something or keeping it hidden can give it more power - and energize what remains in view. I am also drawn to the way this sets up a truly dynamic, unpredictable visual field where unintentional collisions of color and form can take place
Jen Wink Hays is a painter and sculptor based in Philadelphia, PA. Her oil paintings are characterized by her use of a bold, dissonant color palette that blends subdued earthy tones with aggressive, synthetic neons. Incomplete visual layers also convey struggle and resolution in Hays' work. There is a push/pull between what is shown and what is concealed as if something is at once being covered over and peeled away.
Hays has exhibited nationally and internationally, including New York City, Los Angeles, Miami and Milan and her work is included in the permanent collection at the University of Maine Museum of Art. Hays' recent solo shows include Wondrous Ponderous (2019) and Playing Field (2018) both in New York City. Hays is currently working towards her first museum show at University of Maine Museum of Art in Bangor, Maine.
