Description

Extended Data

DAAO URL

https://www.daao.org.au/bio/jane-lennon

Birth Place

Kingaroy, QLD, Australia

Biography

Jane Lennon was born in Kingaroy, Queensland, in 1952. Her interest in working with paper began in childhood. In a post-war era, when paper was still considered a luxury item, she would keep the food labels from cans for use in collages. Moved by striking images, and driven by the knowledge that most of the photos she saw in magazines would be thrown out and forgotten, Lennon began to collect them and sought to combine them in her artworks. In the 1980s, a trip to South-East Asia and Europe inspired a new interest in art for the artist. After a move to a new flat, she saw an opportunity to create papier-mâché household furnishings such as bowls, platters, shelves, and small tables. The self-trained artist then began developing her technique in paper-made objects. Opportunities sometimes came in unusual ways – for example, in the late 1990s, while working as the Assistant Manager at the Norman Lindsay Gallery, Faulconbridge, Lennon saw large bags of shredded paper in the gallery cleaner’s car. Rather than see the paper go to waste, Lennon offered to take the paper home with her, where she started experimenting with it as an art medium. Lennon developed a unique process for creating sculptured forms out of waste paper. Taking discarded office paper, she works the material into a pulp and with the addition of glue produces a clay-like substance. This material is extremely versatile in its applications: whether used alone or with other recycled materials, she is able to create a wide range of biomorphic forms. Throughout the process, she uses sunlight and wind to dry her works in a bid to keep her work as environmentally sustainable as possible. Lennon works instinctively, without a clear idea of how she wants the finished work to appear. As the objects dry, they will often warp and crack, sometimes enabling new creative directions. Once dry, she refines the forms by cutting, grinding or sanding them, and will often continue to add layers of pulp until the work is resolved. The final works are then sealed, painted and varnished. To the extent that her creative works are functional they reflect Lennon’s ethical dilemma about producing useless objects in a world already saturated with 'things’. The artist also tries to offer a social commentary on the contradictions in our lives. For example, a series of oversized platters, painted to give the impression of a cosmos, is Lennon’s critique of the lack of equity in the world’s food distribution. Lennon says that she draws upon the principles of veganism for her artwork, both thematically and in the materials she uses, which are plant-based. Lennon believes that there is a certain naivety to her work, which she feels comes from a sense of inadequacy due to her lack of professional training. Nonetheless, Lennon has had some recognition for her work. She entered the annual ArtStreet competition in Katoomba in 2004, 2005, and 2006, and won several awards including Best Solo Entry in 2004. She was also a finalist in the 2008 Stanthorpe Art Prize, held in Queensland. In 1987, Lennon moved to the Blue Mountains in New South Wales and became actively involved in the local arts community. Aside from working at Norman Lindsay Gallery (1997-2002), she has also worked as a Director at the Braemar Gallery, Springwood (2007), and as a tutor at Springwood Community Arts Centre (2009). In 2001 Lennon and her husband, fellow sculptor Tony Lennon, established their own private gallery at their home, known as Gallery in the Clouds. Writers: Lennon, Rose Note: Rose Lennon is a student in Development Studies and International Business at the University of New South Wales, and is taking a course in Art History and Theory. She is also the daughter of the artist.De Lorenzo, Catherine Date written: 2009 Last updated: 2011

Born

b. 1952

Summary

Born in 1952, Jane Lennon is a self-taught sculptor. Her work is usually brightly coloured, biomorphic forms, made from paper pulp.

Gender

Female

Died

None listed

Age at death

None listed