A Chef Who Paints; a solo exhibition from Sweet Art by Jenni

Please join the ArtSHINE community as we celebrate the latest exhibition by Jenni Rogers; A Chef Who Paints from Sweet Art by Jenni

• Exhibition runs: 22 June to 29 July 2022 (open Mon - Fri 10am - 4pm)

• Opening Celebration: Wednesday 22 June 2022 at 6 pm

Bendigo Bank - Community Bank Darling Square - Shop NE12 11 Little Pier Street Haymarket NSW 2009

* ArtSHINE is mindful of NSW Health guidelines and updates, so we'll be notifying guests of any special requirements or conditions closer to the time should any circumstances change. Thank you for your understanding.

About the exhibition

A Chef Who Paints is a solo exhibition from Sweet Art by Jenni that shares Jenni’s love and exuberance for life through her experiences as a chef and artist.

Based in the beautiful Byron Bay Hinterland, Australia, Jenni delights in creating beautiful art starting with the basic ingredients of flour, cream, organic eggs, and spices, which are transformed through watercolours, oils, and charcoals.

“When I think about food it pulls at my heartstrings.”

Jenni’s art brings a reminiscence of unique eateries, picturesque cafes, exotic street scenes, and homey kitchens where you can smell the mouth-watering aromas, taste the exotic and home-cooked favourites, and hear the audible joy of people enjoying a meal together.

About Jenni Rogers

Jenni is an Australian artist and chef, who is based in the beautiful Byron Bay Hinterland, Australia and delights in creating paintings that combine two of her favourite things - cooking and art.

Jenni bought her first cafe when she was just 16 years old - The Chelsea Teahouse in Avalon. It was only later in life that she discovered her love for painting. This love is what lead Jenni to go on to create artworks depicting beautifully presented food. Jenni is in her element whilst baking beautiful cakes, biscuits, and pastries and turning them into works of art.

She finds all aspects of food and cafes very emotional, as fondly remembered by Jenni, “I often associate memories with food. I know when I bake bread, I think of my dad in the kitchen baking these enormous loaves for our family, my Grandma and I making little, sweet jam mushrooms with icing and pastry stalks and my mum and I destroyed the kitchen through cake decorating, every bowl and appliance in the house was used. Our favourite recipes remind us of our loved ones – when we create them, in a way, it brings them back to us. My paintings are a way of capturing those images”

Jenni recalls, “It wasn’t so much that I discovered my love of painting and drawing as I remember now, I just never thought I had any talent to even attempt to do anything more substantial. My defining moment came whilst walking back home from an oil painting class in our local hall in Empire Bay on the central coast and thinking wow I can paint! and I dabbled with the thought “I could be an artist” I had only just painted my first painting and I knew nothing except I absolutely loved it!”

After the birth of her two daughters, Jenni took Folk-art Classes in Singleton and then knew she wanted to go and do formal training to gain confidence, that’s when she completed Cert II & III in Fine Art & Contemporary Craft at Tafe. “This taught me the foundations of drawing and playing around with different mediums and styles,” said Jenni.

Jenni’s creative process starts with feelings that she gains from the observation of these subjects. Then her mind starts to envision how it could look, usually painting from still life, photos or real life as in Plein air. As passionately described by Jenni, “When I bake the texture and colours consume me - there is never-ending inspiration from these subjects. It’s life and it is a part of us all."

“You can’t live without food!”