Artist Spotlight: Jodi Reeb
Jodi Reeb has been a full-time artist and teacher for over 23 years. She lives and works in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jodi teaches printmaking, acrylic, and encaustic painting, as well as book arts. Her artwork has been shown nationally, received numerous awards, and is in many private and corporate collections. She is the recipient a the Minnesota State Arts Board Grant in 2018. Jodi received a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts from Minneapolis College of Art & Design (MCAD), where she taught printmaking for over 9 years.
We're proud to say Jodi is one of our Core Instructors, offering monthly workshops in her studio as well as nationally. Jodi is also an Ampersand Artist Ambassador, GOLDEN Artist-Educator, and a Silverbrush Educator. Jodi creates her mixed-media paintings and wall sculptures in her studio at Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art where she has been a co-op member for 15 years in Minneapolis.
Jodi, how are you staying creative during COVID 19? What projects are you working on?
My work is nature-based and I've had many ideas of experimentation I wanted to work on when I had time. With COVID 19, I've definitely had the time! With a painting and printmaking background, I've been venturing into the realm of sculpture as a way to create a narrative of physically expanding what a painting can be.
I have been painting with encaustic on aluminum sheeting that is elevated off the wall experimenting with organic forms that oscillate between painting and sculpture. I have been incorporating metal leafing, rust and metallic patinas to the surfaces of my paintings. My goal in this new series of work is for a pushing-pulling, folding-opening and evolving, its parts beginning to take form into something new, connected yet abstract.
What are you looking forward to the most, after all of this is over?
Teaching workshops! I miss my students both locally and nationally and feel so lucky to be able to share what I love to do. I look forward to being in the same room with artists sharing ideas about our work and to open my studio to visitors to show the work in person.
What do you think is the best way to stay connected to each other and the art community during these times?
Social media has become very important for me to be able to share my artwork on a daily basis by posting photographs of what I'm working on to Instagram and Facebook. A good thing to come from all of this is that I feel the world has become a little smaller. I've enjoyed teaching several virtual workshops to artists from all over the world through Zoom. I've also hosted live studio tours, created videos and hosted virtual art openings which I can share widely.
To see more of Jodi’s work and learn about her upcoming workshops, visit her website: jodireeb.com