by Len Lear

Jennifer Hawkes Spaeth, 50, is an extraordinarily talented artist and Chestnut Hill resident whose paintings are currently on display until Oct. 31 at Tailored Home, 8528 Germantown Ave. The Princeton, NJ, native is married to Karl Spaeth, Jr., nephew of a Chestnut Hill legend, the world-renowned ophthalmologist, Dr. George Spaeth.

Jennifer, who also manages Noble Goods, 8436 Germantown Ave., is a 1990 alumna of St. Lawrence University in Canton, upstate New York, with a BA in Art History and English. She also has an MFA in Art Therapy from the School at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Jennifer, whose use of color and texture is breathtaking, has had her work in numerous exhibitions and solo shows and has had years of art teaching and clinical art therapy experience.

In October of 2017, she had her first show at Tailored Home in conjunction with Fall for the Arts. It comes as no surprise that it was a huge success. Her paintings were small but all of Squirrel Island, Maine.

How did the connection to Tailored Home come about? “I met Starr Osborne, the owner of Tailored Home, through a mutual friend, a customer in Roots/ Noble Goods who commissioned me to do a portrait of her kids. She then recommend my work to Starr, who was just opening Tailored Home and wanted to bring local artists in as part of her store/interior design studio and staging business. I liked Starr right away and was impressed by her work experience with Christie's and Sotheby’s auction houses in New York.

“I thought the store would introduce my work to a different set of people who may not be comfortable or confident buying art work in a gallery setting. Many people I know have turned to decorators to help purchase and place artwork in their home. The combination of Starr’s art sales background and her design business seemed a perfect fit for me in Chestnut Hill.”

Jennifer has painted since she was a little girl and has never stopped taking art classes. She has sold her work consistently since 1998 with little marketing. “I think it has actually gotten easier to make a living as an artist,” she said, “due to social media and the ever-growing opportunities for people to purchase art online.”

What was the hardest art assignment Jennifer ever had? “The mural at the New York Botanical Gardens. It was three 12x12 concrete alcoves. I was working full-time and did the painting in the Bronx on weekends while living in NJ.”

Jennifer's favorite artists are Fairfield Porter (“I love his colors and ability to capture Maine. I also like that he portrays an ordinary life I can relate to.”); John Singer Sargent (“His portraits are incredibly beautiful and poetic.”) and, “of course, Matisse, Monet, Manet, Degas and the other Impressionists for their love of color, light and shadow.”

What is the best advice Jennifer ever received? “Maybe from my parents — to do what I love.”

Which talent that Jennifer does not have would she most like to have? “To speak another language, Italian. It is the most beautiful language in the world to me.”

If she could live anywhere on earth, where would it be? “I do love Northern California, the coast of Maine, Paris, Tuscany, Austria. There are so many places I still want to go — Australia, Japan, Argentina … ”

In her spare time, Jennifer likes to travel, sail in Maine, spend time with her husband and four stepdaughters, walk her dog Eli, hike and run long distances. (She has run seven marathons.)

What is Jennifer's most impressive characteristic? “I like finding common ground with others — strangers and people I come in contact with. And hopefully to laugh at myself more often than not.”

If Jennifer could meet and spend time with anyone on earth, living or dead, who would it be?

“Beatrix Cadwalader Farrand, a relative on my father’s side. She was a landscape gardener and landscape architect. Her career included commissions to design about 110 gardens for private residences, estates and country homes, public parks, botanic gardens, college campuses and the White House.

“Also my great-aunt, Jessica Downing, whom I was named for. I have been told she was an adventurous woman and artist. And my dad, who died when I was 17. Sentimental but true.”

For more information about the exhibit at Tailored Home, call 267-297-6502 or www.jenniferspaeth.com