Jennie Szaltis is a watercolorist, art teacher and co-owner of Studios for Creating, Inc.
WHAT MEDIUM DOES
SHE PREFER?
“We [the staff at Studios] concentrate on what we do best. I teach drawing and watercolors. I’ll dabble in clay, oils and pastels but I’m not qualified to teach it.”
WHAT SUBJECTS DOES
SHE PAINT?
“Over the years I’ve come to decide that I like floral subject matter. I love figures, enjoy landscapes and do some mixed media. I would love to do them better, but I keep coming back to florals. Flowers are such fascinating creations.” Her process varies from traditional watercolors. She might paint on canvas or shred several pieces and weave them back together to create more of a multi-media piece.
WHAT INSPIRES HER
TO PAINT?
“The creative spirit, the holy spirit. It’s in my blood; I cannot not do it. That’s just who I am.”
WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE ARTS SCENE HERE?
“It’s exposure. Jacksonville is now working hard to promote the arts, but people can’t appreciate what they’re not exposed to. It’s the media not covering it; it’s businesses not promoting it; and business people in the position to make changes not understanding that it’s important. A lot of designers in town go out-of-town to buy art work because there is not a good art venue established. The hard part of the art world is the bottom line, having to sell your work to get paid. It’s a necessary evil. My frustration in the past with galleries is they want a commission just to hang your art on the wall. There’s not an effort to promote or sell your work.”
WHERE HAS HER WORK BEEN SEEN?
She was part of a show with the Jacksonville Watercolor Society and is currently exhibiting at House of Stereo’s art gallery.
WHAT OTHER WORK HAS SHE DONE?
“I spent some time doing art therapy on the mood and behavior floor at a local hospital.”
HOMETOWN
Colombus, Miss.
EDUCATION
Szaltis earned a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi University for Women in interior design.
HOW DID SHE SHIFT
TO PAINTING?
“I worked in design for a while then decided it was not my cup of tea. When I was pregnant, I enrolled in classes at Jacksonville University. Friends asked me to help them with designs. Eventually, I rented a room in Lakewood in an artist’s gallery. More and more people came so I bit the bullet and bought this place. We’ve been here six or seven years.”
HOW LONG HAS SHE BEEN GIVING ART LESSONS?
“I’ve been teaching children for 8-10 years.”
WHAT MEDIUMS DOES
SHE TEACH?
“We stick to the fine arts, academic arts, the elements and principles of design. We teach oil and acrylic paintings, charcoal drawings, watercolors, figure study, pastels, pottery and portraiture. Our Youngest Artist Program rotates mediums.” Three other artists teach there part-time, including Duval County School System artist-in-residence Tony Wood.
WHO SIGNS UP FOR
ART LESSONS?
“My youngest student is six and the oldest is in his 80s, with everything in between. I put six to eight in a classroom.”
WHAT ARE HER SPECIAL PROGRAMS LIKE?
“We’ve worked with children at the Sulzbacher Center to give them an experience they would not ordinarily have. We also brought in autistic kids to teach basic skills through the vehicle of art. We get a lot of dyslexic and attention-deficit children, too.” She has also assisted pupils at Douglas Anderson and LaVilla School of the Arts in preparing art portfolios.
DOES IT WORK?
“We’ve had good success teaching children through art because the classroom may not be for them. You can relate it all to academics. This is a place where they can create without getting in trouble.” Children learn art history, sequencing through storyboards and chemistry through pottery.
FAMILY
Szaltis and her husband Nick co-own Studios. They reside in San Jose with their son Nick. Their eldest son, J.P., is at college.
HOBBIES
Gardening and playing the piano are her favorite pastimes. She also enjoys “psycho murder mystery” novels, cookies and cake.
— by Monica Chamness