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Cornelia Jensen has been exhibiting with the gallery
since its inception in 2002. She has been creating art
for over twenty years and studied at California College
of Arts and Crafts before relocating to Manhattan. Portraits
of Mary Jane was her first solo show at the gallery and
received a laudatory review in High Times Magazine.
Portraits of Mary Jane was a presentation of one artist's study of cannabis
whose controversial effects and widespread usage has resulted
in its consequent illegality. The exhibition took
place in "The Green Room" at the gallery
Marijuana has been a muse for artists, writers, musicians
and politicians for centuries, yet is a recreational drug
that is considered highly taboo in the public eye. It
is an elixir that possesses mind expanding potential.
It can prompt tangential or linear thought, create pontificating
idiots or speechless sages.
Like the cutting-down of a Christmas tree, the "Bud"
must be harvested in the prime of its life. The herb,
once sacrificed, can then release its "magic"
by way of us burning it and inhaling its smoke. Its purpose
in our lives is realized by its death. This potential
for magic is what makes us find the image of the living
plant so intriguing. As living creatures we all are the
embodiments of our potential. That is our beauty.
Portraits are meant to capture the likeness, beauty and,
if well executed, the soul of a particular creature, human
or otherwise. Often symbols of prestige, portraits place
their subjects on a pedestal of historical or sentimental
relevance. Jensen's thriving "Bud" images are
the artist's models for this show and Portraits of Mary
Jane is a body of work that explores the beauty, prestige
and soul of the many faces of herb.
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