There is Still Magic Here: A Solo Exhibition of Oil Paintings by Jennifer Cronin

Elephant Room Gallery is thrilled to present a solo exhibition by Jennifer Cronin entitled “There is Still Magic Here”. The exhibition opens to the public on Friday, October 22nd from 6 to 10pm and will be on view through November 27th. The gallery is located at 704 S. Wabash Ave. in the South Loop Neighborhood of Chicago.

“There is Still Magic Here” is a new series of paintings illustrating everyday, overlooked landscapes as an agent for exploring the wonder in our daily lives. Over the past year, Cronin began the habit of taking daily walks. It was during these walks that she would stop to photograph seemingly mundane urban surroundings which in that moment, beckoned to her. The resulting paintings are a rich representation of the magic the artist felt when viewing these landscapes. Symphonies of color and bursts of neon brushstrokes meld with the masterful realism that Cronin is best known for. “In these liminal spaces, I found magic. I decided to let go of my rules and dive into that world.” - Cronin

Artists often create their best work when they step outside of what they feel they should be creating and focus on the feeling; getting lost in their work. The work becomes a parallel universe in which they live and we only experience through observation of the resulting works. “There is Still Magic Here” is a personal journey for Cronin that documents her feelings on these walks while also reflecting a universal sense of wonder and mystery. There is something extraordinary about the emotion Cronin has conveyed within these exterior landscapes and how they interact with the viewer. We are not solely viewing a landscape painting by an artist but rather, we are experiencing a moment in time that is identical to what the artist experienced. The paintings remind us that there is still beauty to relish in and magic hiding in plain sight.

About the Artist
Jennifer Cronin is a Chicago-based visual artist, known for her meticulously rendered paintings which explore the mystery and complexity of everyday life. Jennifer’s work has been exhibited widely, both nationally and internationally. In support of her recent series documenting the detrimental impacts of climate change, she was awarded a grant from the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation and a fellowship by the Vermont Studio Center. Jennifer’s work has been featured on NPR, Newcity and Sixty Inches from Center. Her work has been included in exhibitions at the Elmhurst Art Museum, Museo Internazionale Italia Arte and the Grand Rapids Public Museum as well as galleries at Google and Argonne National Laboratory. Her work was awarded best in show by juror Eric Fischl in a group exhibition at the Buchanan Center for the Arts. Jennifer received her BFA in painting from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. She is represented by Elephant Room Gallery and [salonlb.] in Chicago.