Jill McLennan: Impressions

Jill McLennan’s exhibition, “Impressions”, showcases her ongoing exploration of printmaking techniques and narrative imagery. From the charred trees of Yosemite, to the beaches of Chilmark and the forests of Karuizawa, McLennan documents her surroundings. Her observations range from her own travels to local and far away places, depicting encampments of Oakland’s houseless population, and chronicles of current events. She creates visual stories about human and animal migrations and how they overlap and interact with our changing environment. McLennan incorporates historic letterpress haiku poems with some of her linoleum block prints from the migration series. This summer, McLennan traveled to Japan to learn the traditional Japanese wood carving, Mokuhanga. The prints in this exhibition were created in McLennan’s studio in Jingletown as well as at the Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, Featherstone Art Center on Martha’s Vineyard, and the Karuizawa Mokuhanga School in Japan. McLennan intertwines techniques, subject matter, and personal experiences with a realistic yet positive outlook on the world and the future.

Jill McLennan is a painter, printmaker and teaching artist who has been living in Oakland, CA for 23 years. She is an active member of her neighborhood Jingletown, creating and organizing public art and beautification projects, and has her studio at Jingletown Art Studios. In 2023, she completed a large-scale public art project with the city of Emeryville, a steel fence depicting local views and shorebirds. Currently, she is focused on printmaking and is exploring several techniques and subjects. This fall, she is an artist in residence at Kala Art Institute in Berkeley. As both an artist and a teacher, she is deeply invested in learning new things, exploring her environment, inspiring youth, and spreading hope and joy into the world.

Gallery Hours: Fr + Sa; 12 – 5 pm
Opening Reception: Sat, October 26, 4 – 6 pm
Oakland Art Murmur / First Friday: November 1, 5 – 9 pm

Image: Jill McLennan, Lake Merritt, Sunset, Mokuhanga Print,15 x 21 cm 2024. photo courtesy of the artist