Viewpoint

Jensen creates stylized, graphic paintings of landscapes and lifestyles. A native Minnesotan, he studied graphic design and illustration and earned a degree from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. He has had a career creating illustrations for publishing and corporate clients. He now paints graphic interpretations of nature. Midwestern landscapes inspire him. He thinks of nature as geometric shapes and colors that work in rhythm with each other. He also does photography, which in turn inspires his painting. His process starts with small sketches with pencil and paper, in which he distils the subject into basic graphic shapes and color interpretations, looking for the relationship between the functional reality and the visual aesthetic. His medium is acrylic paints on hardboard -- similar to the technique he used as an illustrator. 

I am drawn to distilling traditional visual elements into shape, line, and form. Inspired by patterns and structures in nature, I create oil and wax or mixed media works that evoke emotion and memory through a personal visual language. 

My process begins with exploration and play. I intuitively build layers of marks, color, texture, and form, allowing spontaneity to guide the work’s evolution. Through additive and subtractive techniques, I excavate and revise, revealing traces of what lies beneath. These layered passages create depth and movement, carrying a quiet luminosity that shifts as light activates the surface. 

I seek the moment when composition and surface come into harmony — when the work feels both resolved and alive. 

I invite viewers to pause, experience a sense of joy, and discover their own stories within the work, allowing the painting to unfold in ways that feel personal and unexpected.