Meet Jenny Whipple | Painter, Sculptor, Production designer, Bug enthusiast

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jenny Whipple and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jenny, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I think I pursued a career in the creative world because it’s what I’m best at. I know that seems like a pretty cop-out answer, but it rings true to me. I was always drawn to art of all forms and the things I tend to make art about. Even as a young kid all I wanted was to collect bugs and look at animals and draw those things over and over through my eyes. I’ve always been drawn to people’s interpretation of the world, especially when it happens to be as weird and skewed as my own. I think the interest in making art as a “career” is one that draws a certain type of person with the ability to make light of things and feel free enough to express their world views. Having a business major sister definitely caught me some flack for choosing the oh so very noble path of art school, but I think everyone in my family knew that was the path for me (probably even before I knew myself). It just made sense that I would find some way to continue doing what has always brought me joy, and my family quickly figured out that I would somehow make it more than just a hobby down the line.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art spans a lot of different styles and techniques. My entire interest in anything creative has always included learning new ways of doing things. Even if I end up being absolutely terrible at them, you can bet that I’ve tried almost every type of artistic expression there is. Being particularly fond of painting, drawing, and miniature sculpting, I think what sets me apart is my use of mediums to express what I’m trying to get across. I work constantly to improve in areas I find challenging and to test out new styles and techniques as often as I can. I’ve had some wonderful opportunities to try things like metalworking, glassblowing, and even designing and making toys for elephants in a local zoo. I will tackle (or attempt to tackle) anything that I can get my paint covered hands on. You better believe I ended up with some burns, scars, and tons of failed projects, but every one of those experiences has shaped and reshaped the way I go about creating artwork. Currently I’m very proud of my work on “Weird” the Weird Al Yankovich movie, where I was assisting the art department. I learned a lot on that job and had so much fun working with everyone involved. Creating artwork for that project will always be a huge accomplishment for me, as I grew up being amazed by his career (though sadly I’ve never tried my hand at the accordion). I would say that no one gets to where they are in life easily, there are always challenges and hardships to overcome when pursuing what you love and want to do. I am just happy that I am surrounded by people willing to help me through those hard times and trust me to make the right choices.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh boy, I’m not your typical tour guide, and I’m pretty terrible with guests as I mostly stay in my office/studio and take care of my insects. I guess I’d make sure to show them Picture Start Props, a prop house where I work out of during jobs. It’s owned by an amazing production designer that I work with often on commercials and it’s always a fun place to show people who are interested in TV and movies and always gets people to open up and look around. I’m part Mexican, (I know you’d never guess from my photo) so of course I have an intense love for Mexican food, and LA is the best place around to try all sorts of foods that almost come close to my grandmothers cooking growing up. Even the street vendors have some tacos that will blow your mind. When I do show someone new around, I make sure to take them to El Coyote at least once for dinner so they can see the set from “Once upon a time in Hollywood”. (They also have killer strawberry margaritas but make sure to ask them to float an extra shot on top, you’re welcome).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family deserves the biggest shoutout I could possibly give. Both my mum and dad had hard childhoods, and I am grateful every day that their hardships made them the people they are today. They have been incredibly supportive of my weird experiments and art, and listened to hours of my ideas that no one else took seriously. Generally people stop engaging when you give them about a book’s worth of facts about animals, bugs, and old painting techniques, but to their credit they always stayed interested. (Or at least did a very good job of making me think they were). I’m not sure how many parents would be overjoyed when their child says they want to pursue a career and life in art, and I’m so happy that they always pushed me to go for it and to do what I love. I think for a long time I was worried about the reception I would get from family members, I know the “starving artist” trope all too well, but I always had an enormous amount of support from them.
Of course I also have had met many amazing and inspirational people along the way, from professors to friends to bosses, who have helped me continue along my little dirt path of a career. I will forever be thankful to all of them.

Website: jennywhipple.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jwhipppp/ AND https://www.instagram.com/jennywhipplepd/