About

Hi.

I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1958 and moved to Madison 1980. I have been a public school teacher for the last 20 years and when I make art I go to my happy place. There I can recharge from the often challenging and draining aspects of teaching middle school.  No, I don’t teach art, but I have been making art my entire life. I don’t remember not drawing and it was usually people.

When I make art, it is often a construction. Hot melt glue is a good friend of mine. I will use any media that suits the piece and it is often junk.  The whole pull tab (tear-off)  idea came from wanting to make something tangible out of loss. Popular culture and day of the dead creep into my work as well. My art tends to have a humorous and sometimes macabre edge, which describes me to a certain extent.  Albert Camus said, “A work of art is a confession.” Yep.

It is magic to make an idea into a tangible thing. It’s a body/mind anarchy that is a gift and an onus. If I don’t make something regularly it affects my general health and well-being. For me, making art is expository. Not everyone is going to “get it” and I expect that.  Reaction is key. I don’t think artists work to be ignored. I want you to look and wonder. And smile.

Contact me to inquire about purchasing art, gallery shows, or commissions.

mzjojensen  -at- g mail -dot-  com