“I started out by opening an antique shop in ’98 and just started painting and doing mosaics in which my canvas then was mostly doors and windows,” Jensen said.

Blending old watch pieces from her shop, or other little bits of this and that, Jensen combines her artistic talents with her love of antiques to create “something a little different.”

She uses mostly bright colored acrylics in her paintings, as well as some unconventional materials such as – tar and hot wax.

Using a texturizing method Jensen read about on the Internet, she brushes tar onto her canvas or other base, then paints color over it.

Jensen also has used encaustic painting on some of her art pieces, also called hot wax painting. Color is added to the wax before painting an object and then can be molded to create different effects.

Bold, bright colors are Jensen’s preference, citing Picasso, Miro and Kadinski as her positive influences.

“My styles are whimsical and primitive,” she said. “My work includes paintings, murals, mosaics, primitive dolls, folk art animals and assemblages of pieces found - junk mixed with art.”

Jensen likes to stray from the usual, taking familiar objects and making them her own.

“I dream about art a lot. My mind sort of races about stuff I’ve dreamed up,” she said. “I’m eager to get up in the morning and paint. I keep a pad by my bed and write ideas down when I wake up.”

Lately she has been painting primitive dolls, but giving them a little twist of whimsy, like adding a rusty bell as hair.

“I also paint angels, but do them a little different,” she said. “And, I do religious paintings in bright funky colors. Those are kind of neat.”

In addition to her selling inventoried items in her home studio, Jensen also does commission work including wall murals.

On a trip to Belize, Jensen was shopping through one of the local art galleries and struck up a conversation with the owner. Jensen mentioned she was an artist and the owner asked her to e-mail her some photos of her artwork.

A few e-mails later, Jensen made the deal to ship the gallery owner some of her artwork to sell.

Interested art collectors don’t have to travel all the way to Belize, Jensen can be reached by e-mail at jodiejensenartz@knology.net or paintings may be viewed and purchased  on her Web site or from e-Bay.

She has several shows coming up including:

May 17-18: Arts Council of NWFL in Pensacola at Bartram Park.
Aug. 29-30: The Village of Baytowne Wharf
Nov. 6-7: St. Simon’s Episcopal Church, Miracle Strip in Mary Esther.