House of Self: A Collective

Jennifer Leigh Harrison, a multidisciplinary artist and psychotherapist who specializes in trauma, addiction and suicide prevention, tells a story of healing parts of self, from fragmented to integrated, in a journey of mental health in visual form. 

November 14, 2024 - January 23, 2025

Opening: Thursday, November 14, 4-7pm for Capitol Hill Art Walk

Artist Talk: Tuesday, January 14, 2025, 1-2pm at Seattle Central College

"What I cannot or do not want to communicate with words, I share through painting. Each piece becomes clear to me as I am on the floor with it, in all its phases. I use my whole physical exertion which allows my paintings to be embodied states of the human condition.

I believe in the ability of art to challenge oppressive structure -- scraping and peeling back to reveal or to maintain what is buried or covered underneath and to create something entirely new.

Thriving, surviving and/or failure to do so are common undercurrents, as well as the fluidity of time and space. These are themes primary in my profession as a psychotherapist and social worker, and difficult or limiting to convey as a poet, but freeing to explore in visual form.

I work intuitively and without set intention, using movement as a vehicle.  I presently achieve this with acrylic paint and associated mediums, sometimes incorporating charcoal, ink, oil and wax. I manipulate materials with steel, cloth, knives, hard plastics, wood, and physical force -- rarely using traditional tools like paintbrushes.

My paintings are both refuge and liberating space from daily constraint and emanate both my subjective and physical experience of being in the world. My poems are lyrical, wandering, imagistic and ecologically reflective of parallels between body and land."

    - Jennifer  Leigh Harrison

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Jennifer Leigh Harrison is a multidisciplinary artist, psychotherapist, and social worker based in Seattle. As a self-taught painter, Harrison has shown at Van Der Plas Gallery in NYC and has been jury selected for international exhibits with honorable mention. She was awarded the annual first place prize for abstract art at Gage in 2023. Her art focuses on themes of movement and deconstruction in lyrical abstract form. Harrison's visually organic work is distinguished by improvised layers of stripped surfaces that house texture, color, both hidden and revealed. Her art is currently on display at various locations in Seattle.

A recipient of the Marian Coe Scholarship award for creative writing, Harrison’s work is internationally published in journals and anthologies. She is the author of the chapbook, Places We Left, published by Dancing Girl Press.

Main Image: Jennifer Leigh Harrison, The Following

Visual description: The image features an abstract painting with a textured, predominantly white background. In the foreground, a series of small, curved shapes scatter across the canvas in a diagonal arrangement from the top left corner to the bottom right. These shapes vary in color, including muted tones of green, orange, and brown, and they create a subtle contrast against the white background. The paint is applied in a textured manner, adding a sense of depth and movement to the overall composition.

Upper Left: Jennifer Leigh Harrison, Identity 

Visual Description: The image displays an abstract painting with a predominantly gray background. The artwork consists of various black and gray scribbles and brushstrokes that intersect across the canvas, creating a textured and chaotic aesthetic. Amid the dark strokes, subtle hints of color are present, including a pale pink oval shape that resembles a face or mask. The strokes are dynamic, with some forming semicircular shapes and others scattered randomly. A few patches appear to suggest limbs with faint skin tones, adding an organic element to the otherwise abstract scene.

Middle Left: Jennifer Leigh Harrison, Sheets of Blue 

Visual Description: The image is an abstract painting on a rectangular canvas with a predominantly yellow background. Scattered across the center are small, irregular shapes resembling pieces of mosaic or confetti in hues of blue, white, and green. These shapes create a clustered pattern that spreads vertically from near the top to the bottom of the canvas. The yellow background is textured, showing subtle brushstrokes and variations in tone, giving the painting an uneven, layered appearance. The mosaic-like shapes appear more concentrated in some central areas, creating a sense of movement and flow.

Lower Left: Jennifer Leigh Harrison, Housing A Tornado

Visual Description: The image is an abstract painting dominated by a dense, irregular patchwork of vibrant, triangular shapes overlaying a black background. The shapes are filled with a spectrum of bright colors, including yellows, reds, blues, greens, and purples, creating a chaotic yet harmonious pattern. The black background is applied with a rough texture, and it drips slightly at the bottom, adding a dynamic and fluid aspect. Surrounding the central composition are subtle hints of circular shapes lightly colored in yellows, greens, and blues, blending into the white, speckled background. The overall composition is visually engaging and conveys a sense of movement and complexity.