Art on a Postcard International Women’s Day Auction - Curated by Jo McLaughlin

About 

Jen Orpin graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 1996 with a degree in Fine Art. She lives in Manchester and joined Rogue Artists’ Studios, Manchester in 2000. She is a full time professional practicing artist painting contemporary landscapes focusing on the often overlooked, liminal spaces and brutalist structures within the topographies of our everyday.  

Education 

BA Hons Degree in Fine Art 

Select Exhibitions/Awards 

Jens work is held in public and private collections both nationally and internationally and has been accepted into several Open Art exhibitions. Amongst these are the long list for the Jackson’s Open Painting Prize, The New Light Art Prize, The ING discerning Eye Exhibition, The Wells Art Contemporary, both HOME Exhibitions and The London Group Open. She’s also exhibited in galleries uk wide including Sheffield, Liverpool and London and was selected for the 2023 Royal Academy Summer Show. In 2018 she appeared in Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year where the judges chose her in their top three for the heat. Jen has had two solo shows, a 10 week solo show at the Manchester Modernist Society and a three week solo show and four weekend gallery residency at Saul Hay Gallery Manchester. In May 2021 her motorway paintings featured in the Guardian online and The Observer’s New Review Grid section and again in Jan 2023 when one of her paintings appeared in the ‘On My Radar’ feature.  

Gallery Representation 

Jen is currently represented by Saul Hay Fine Art Gallery Manchester and Jari Lager Gallery She is an associate member of the Manchester Academy of Fine Arts (MAFA) and can also be found on the platform Gertrude 

Statement about AOAP Submitted Artwork 

The structures I focus on, often constructed from concrete and metal, brutal in nature are familiar landmarks that straddle well-travelled motorways and roads. Unchanged and built to last, they offer sturdiness and a consistent presence that spans decades. They may be accompanied by the addition of graffiti or nature might have taken hold where possible, only adding to this presence. By documenting and recording these structures using the language of painting and drawing on the traditions of landscape painting, I aim to expand our perceptions and viewpoints and challenge how we look at these structures in our everyday landscapes. 

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