Jen Thurston

Jen resides in Tusayan, Arizona, seven miles south of the Grand Canyon. She has lived all over the country, but had always wanted to move back to Northern Arizona where she had lived for several years as a child. In 1994 she did so and is very happy with the decision. She says the almost constant sunshine suits her much more than the often gray skies of Ohio where she had most recently lived. The beauty of Arizona has inspired her to create much more prolifically than ever before. Growing up, her parents read to her frequently and her mind's eye saw wonderful images to go with all those colorful childhood stories. She credits much of her style to this pastime and her artistic mother who always encouraged her creative side and inspired many a project.

Jen attended Kent State University for a couple of years in the mid 1980's as a graphic design major, but felt stifled in art school and dropped out to better nurture her own ideas and style. She says the words whimsical, mystical, and happy best describe her work and that she enjoys dabbling in a wide variety of mediums, concentrating most often in watercolors, acrylics, color pencil, and polymer clay sculpture. All of these mediums lend themselves well to the "detail freak" in her.