Justin Michael Jenkins

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Justin Michael Jenkins

Contemplation, a pencil self portrait by the artist age 19.
Birth name Justin Michael Jenkins
Born February 23, 1971
Saratoga Springs, New York
Nationality Flag of United StatesUnited States
Field Painting, Drawing, Sculpture
Training West Virginia University College of Creative Arts, Morgantown, WV
Movement pop art, Surrealism

Justin Michael Jenkins (born 23 February 1971) is an American surrealist artist. He achieved college success in athletics. He now works as an artist and web master with Susan Polgar, former Women's World Chess Champion and Chess Olympiad Gold Medalist.

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[edit] Life and career

Jenkins was born in Saratoga Springs, New York to George and Carole Jenkins.

In 1979, age 8, he had his first exhibition at Dayspring Gallery in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. and made his first sale of an original lithograph. In 1981, he won first place in the New York State public education art show representing the 4th grade for his stained glass design piece. In 1986, under the direction of artist Robert Green, he finished in the top three at a college exhibition in Canfield Casino. In 1987, he entered the school cross country team, and in 1988 became the top runner for the New York State Champion Cross Country Team, which won both the Federation and State titles, and was ranked nationally in the top 5.

In 1989, he was accepted into the graphic design and advanced drawing programs of West Virginia University with a grant for art, and a partial scholarship for cross country running and track & field. He studied under professors Ben Freedman and Chris Hockings. He also had a one year apprenticeship with sculptor Noah Savett, working on monumental sculptures.

Raw Garnishings by Justin Michael Jenkins
Raw Garnishings by Justin Michael Jenkins

In 2000, Jenkins termed his approach to art as "Unificationism", and said:

When we look at the world from a distance from space, we would conclude from our observations that our world is a complex dynamic of movement, color, shape, and the interaction of all these into one harmonic flow.
The Concealed Fate of an Imminent Surrender with Susan Polgar.
The Concealed Fate of an Imminent Surrender with Susan Polgar.
The Concealed Fate of an Imminent Surrender with the signatures of all the participants from the Mayor's Cup Super Chess Tournament, the highest rated round robin tournament in United States History.   Will be at auction sometime in 2007 with a minimum bid starting at $1,000. Could fetch $10,000.
The Concealed Fate of an Imminent Surrender with the signatures of all the participants from the Mayor's Cup Super Chess Tournament, the highest rated round robin tournament in United States History. Will be at auction sometime in 2007 with a minimum bid starting at $1,000. Could fetch $10,000.

In late 2004, he launched his business Imaginative Pencil to sell framed art prints of his work and other products. In 2006, his was the first work selected for "featured art" on artwanted.com.

He now works with former World Chess Champion and Chess Olympiad Gold Medalist Susan Polgar as her full time web Designer, web master, and artist. He created the logo for the Susan Polgar Foundation, as well as the cover for the Mayor's Cup Super Chess Tournament. He also works with West Virginia Public Broadcasting as a designer and artist for the show EclecTopia.

[edit] Featured Stories and Publications

The Garden of Eden (1995) by Justin Michael Jenkins
The Garden of Eden (1995) by Justin Michael Jenkins
  • Published on the Chess Database and news site Chess Base A Recent story about the artist's chess collection is Here
  • Newspaper write up in the Dominion Post about one man show, Art of the Universe: Experiments with form, color, and composition, at the Benedum Gallery at the Mon Arts Center in Morgantown, West Virginia.
  • Front page article in the Dominion Post, "Making a Go of It" where Jenkins talks about his runner up placing for the International Art Expo in New York.
  • Front page article in the Dominion Post Marquee section, "Jenkins Wins Award for Website and Art", about his American Association of Webmasters Gold Award for his website design, business, and art.
The Universal Secret (1993-1994)
The Universal Secret (1993-1994)
  • Featured article about his business, Imaginative Pencil, which he helped start back in 2004, in the West Virginia BIZ magazine.
  • Chess Drawing "The Transmutation of Time, Reflex, and Observation" used in the book Fisching for Forgeries by Lawrence Totaro
  • Exclusive story about book Visionary Landscapes on page C6 (May 2006) of the West Virginia State Journal in the Celebrating the Arts Section.

[edit] Books

  • Co-Author of Visionary Landscapes ISBN 978-1-4116-7843-9. This includes his works, as well as evaluations from scholars, art historians, and curators.[1]

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ imaginativepencilbooks.com

[edit] Sources

[edit] External links