Jenny Grumbles

Artist Statement:

Brené Brown is so inspiring and I love that she encourages vulnerability, honesty, and fear-facing. As a little girl, I developed a very strong mechanism inside me to push down any pain or controversy and make it go away fast so I could continue on with a smile. As a 40-something adult, I have done a lot of work to try to only use that tool when it will be helpful to me because like Brene says, “if I look that truth in the eye, I will find freedom, and be able to write my own story.” So the past year I have been doing a special therapy called EMDR to learn how to rewire my brain and find this freedom. I got this itch to put down a paint brush for a bit in between commissions, and make portraits out of cereal boxes. I rarely make art that is not a commissioned painting because I am so focused on my steady income, the tasks in front of me, making my clients happy, and obsessing over "getting it all done.”

The cereal boxes kept taunting me, "make US your paint!" They are so colorful that I thought, if I can do this with paint, I can do it with the colors in the boxes. I will find my whole palette in those boxes. So then I finally faced the fear and took the leap. And it worked. And I loved it. I am working on my 4th cereal portrait right now, all with resilient, brave, iconic subjects..."Art by a Thousand Cuts,” is the latest release from my Cereal Series. My only requirement for these pieces is that the medium be only cereal boxes and the subject matter be something I love. 

Artist Bio:

Equal parts Californian and Texan, Jenny Grumbles realized her passion for painting at age 14. Jenny’s work has an emphasis on color and light, as does her lifestyle. What draws her to the canvas is capturing the way light hits her subject. Fueled by caffeine and loud music, she paints an over-booked calendar of commissioned work seeking to bring joy to her client’s homes by capturing their memories or helping them create new ones. With a degree from Southern Methodist University, some guidance from mentor Anne Irwin of Anne Irwin Fine Art, and a few years of sobriety, she was able to found the J.Grumbles Studio in California. She began selling her art in galleries and shops from California to Georgia. Shortly after, she opened a vintage home-decor business, Uptown Country Home, where she was the proprietor of her own retail store for 10 years. Jenny’s success in retail sales of art and refurbished furniture landed her a leading role (as herself) on 56 episodes of A&E’s hit series, Storage Wars Texas. Jenny is also passionate about political causes and social issues which are highlighted in some of her work. After giving birth to her son in 2014, she closed her retail store to zero in on being a mom and making art. She currently resides in Dallas, Texas, with her son, Thompson.