Cloudy this evening with thunderstorms developing after midnight. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 57F. SSW winds at less than 5 mph, increasing to 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Cloudy this evening with thunderstorms developing after midnight. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 57F. SSW winds at less than 5 mph, increasing to 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 90%.

Pictured is artist Jennifer Shrestha.

Jennifer Shrestha holds her painting "Serenity." She has spent the last two years learning to paint with alcohol ink.

Pictured is Shrestha's abstract painting "Misty Mountain Morning."

Pictured is a collection of Shrestha's "Meraki Collection" wall art.

I met Jennifer at the 2021 Flowertown Festival. Her works are attractive with nice colors. She works with alcohol ink which I just took a class in at ART On the Square with Deb Grogen. It’s tricky, but the colors are great!

Pictured is artist Jennifer Shrestha.

Jennifer’s “Meraki Collection” sign at her table states: “With Soul, Creativity, and Love.” To reach Jennifer about displaying her artwork or get one of her pieces, email her at merakicollectionart@outlook.com.

Regan: Jennifer, when did you begin as an artist? What does “Meraki” mean?

Pictured is a collection of Shrestha's "Meraki Collection" wall art.

Shrestha: I have always been creative but discovered the artist in me in July ‘20. As I became more interested in alcohol ink, I decided to start a small business and wanted the name to really symbolize how I felt about my art. The word “meraki” (may-rah-kee) is Greek. It means to put soul, creativity and love into the work that you do — it represented me perfectly! I was starting out as a new artist and a learner of new techniques but knew whatever I made would be 100 percent genuine and have my all put into it. That’s what makes my art speak to me — what makes it beautiful and then every time someone takes a piece of my work into their home, I’m filled with gratitude.

R: Who influenced you as an artist?

S: My mom passed away in January ’20. That was difficult both as a daughter and as an employee, as I’d worked for her for seven years in our home-based travel agency. I was suddenly unemployed, plus a pandemic was just beginning. Then, in June, I got a card recognizing Mom’s birthday. It was done in alcohol ink and was the first time I’d seen anything like it. It got me interested. I started to play around with it and slowly became obsessed with doing more.

S: I went to college at St. Olaf in Minnesota with a BA in Social Work. As far as art, I am completely self-taught. As I became more interested in it, I started to take online classes. The artist who made the card I’d gotten gave live classes, so I took several of those. I also took a pre-recorded class by a Pacific-northwest artist whose work I admire. I watched videos on YouTube and Pinterest. I have learned a lot. I started out painting everything from flowers to landscapes to designing notecards to jewelry. I discovered that what brings me joy is painting canvases and cradleboard. I have come to understand that I have my own style. Now, I prefer to paint ocean scenes and horizontal abstracts. You’ll find a lot of blue, black, brown and gold in my paintings. I find those colors to be so soothing. I’m from Idaho, so the mountains tend to make an appearance in some of my work, and now the ocean is my happy place, so from these I take inspiration!

Pictured is Shrestha's abstract painting "Misty Mountain Morning."

R: How is the process of working with alcohol ink?

S: Working with alcohol ink is rather tricky. The end result looks a lot like watercolor, but the process is quite different. Alcohol ink is a highly pigmented dye that is moved by adding isopropyl alcohol. Some artists work with varying strengths of ISO alcohol, but I find 91 percent works best. One nice thing is that it dries almost immediately, unlike other types of paint. Once it’s dried, I simply add more alcohol to continue moving the ink. If I’m making something small, such as a notecard or painting, I will use tools such as a hand-held air gun, canned air and paint brushes to help move the paint. If I’m painting a large canvas, I’ll usually just pour on the ISO alcohol and then pick up the canvas and roll it around. When I’m finished, I triple seal each painting to protect it from UV rays and to avoid smudging.

R: Are your pieces in any galleries?

S: Last year, I did many craft shows, but that’s not the best market for me, so I will focus on creating a new style of painting and getting into galleries. My paintings were in a few places last year that were short-term showings. I will apply to be in the South Carolina Artisans Center in Walterboro — a juried application. I will also look into the Public Works Art Center here, ART on the Square and a few galleries in Charleston.

R: Have you ever taught art?

Jennifer Shrestha holds her painting "Serenity." She has spent the last two years learning to paint with alcohol ink.

S: I am excited to offer some workshops in the near future. Art is such an expression of yourself. There is no wrong way to paint. If five artists were asked to paint the ocean, all five would be very different looking paintings. They would all be beautiful in unique ways. For some, it would be a literal expression of the ocean, with very defined lines. For others, it would be abstract where imagination comes into play. For others, it would be where the painting is very calm in color or maybe very chaotic with color. My workshops would help artists express themselves and find their own style, just as I continue to do so.

R: What other types of art are you interested in? Do you do commissioned pieces?

S: Many alcohol ink artists combine acrylic ink into their paintings. I have stayed with traditional alcohol ink, but I may incorporate acrylics. I have done several commissioned pieces which were wonderful experiences. I enjoyed the challenge.

S: Recognition and greater acceptance as an artist! My goal is to streamline my style and get into galleries. The last two years were all about learning what alcohol ink was, how to paint with it and figuring out how to run a business. I hope to continue growing my skillset and have my work displayed.

Mary E. Regan, columnist, is a freelance publicist with her ProPublicist.com consultancy.

Seeking new publicity clients and writing projects. Story ideas? Email: Mary@ProPublicist.com

Facebook: facebook.com/jennifer.merakicollection

Instagram: www.instagram.com/merakicollectionjs

The Journal Scene 103 Journal Alley Summerville, SC 29483