©2024 Jordyn Vowels. Please do not use image without permission from the artist.
20 x 26 inches
Relief print and acrylic paint
In Collaboration with Brian Glenzinski, Ducks Unlimited
Growing up in Minnesota, I am no stranger to the outdoors. A childhood filled with days of swimming in the lake, making tree branch forts in the woods, and playing hockey on the frozen pond in the winter has inspired me to do the work I make today. Most of my work is focused on nature and animals, some from specific childhood memories, and some just of animals that I find interesting. My primary mediums are painting and printmaking. And, I knew that a one-block reduction relief print with a touch of painting would be perfect for this project with Brian Glenzinski at Ducks Unlimited. Since Brian’s work is all about conservation and the outdoors, I thought the rugged and rough-looking style of a woodblock print would stylistically represent the nature of this work. This print depicts the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and how it can work in a cycle. I used images related to Brian’s work: planting wild rice, duck hunting, and retrieving. Reading from the top right corner to the left, the viewer can follow the circular path of the arrows in the middle of the frame to view each step of the cycle in order.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
My name is Jordyn Vowels, and I am from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I recently graduated from The University of Wisconsin-Madison in May 2024 with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, focusing in painting and printmaking. My work conveys the unique, vibrant, and mesmerizing shapes, colors, and patterns of our natural world, as for growing up in Minnesota, I am no stranger to the outdoors. Summer days were filled with sun and water, and winter nights were filled with ice and snow. I was constantly outside and grew to love the beauty of everything I saw, from a deer in the winter woods to a flower blooming on a branch. I have a deep passion for painting and printmaking, and I enjoy working with my hands and the physicality it takes to create my artwork, such as the stroke of a paintbrush or carving an image into a wood block. The love and labor put into the creation process is just as important as the finished product. My works gradually come to life one layer of vibrant color at a time, with a child-like playfulness that reflects how I like to paint and illustrate. Natural elements such as plants, water, earth, the sky, and wildlife imbue the space of my surfaces. All have filled me with wonder since I was small, and it still does. I take that feeling and translate it into my work. I hope my audience is filled with the same awe of nature I feel daily.
Website: https://my.readymag.com/edit/4777613/preview/
art insta: @artbyjordynv personal insta: @jordynvowels
ABOUT THE WATER PARTNER
Brian Glenzinski is responsible for delivery of DU’s conservation program in the Great Lakes Initiative (Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin) with a focus on priority areas bringing a diverse range of conservation services from technical review and consultation on complex wetland projects, upland and wetland management and enhancement, construction management and implementation, along with State and Regionwide conservation planning for wetlands and waterfowl. Prior to Ducks Unlimited Mr. Glenzinski spent 15 years with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as a Wildlife Biologist and has worked extensively on ecological restoration throughout Wisconsin on private and public lands from Federal and State perspectives. With 10 plus years at DU, Brian leads the GLI Team to develop partnerships aimed at the strategic delivery of DU’s mission in the Great Lakes.
MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH SUPPORT FROM
