By Javian Williams
On April 7, Jennifer Steltenpohl, a senior art student at Valdosta State University, sat down and was conducting an interview with me on her exhibition. Miss Steltenpohl indulges in many forms of art like traditional drawing, printmaking, and watercolor. In addition, Steltenpohl gave me a glimpse into her life and moral values. She informs me earlier on that she is a local resident of Valdosta, Georgia. Moreover, Steltenpohl clarifies that she is pansexual, a characteristic that she tries to incorporate in her art, along with mental health awareness and reproductive rights. According to her artist bio, she has veteran experience with art exhibitions, as she had one of her sculptures titled Childlike Wonder entered in Valdosta State University’s Fall 2019 exhibition “From The Ground Up: Art & Design Foundations.” These factors have all played an important role in her preparation for becoming an art teacher. She has done a few acts for this career including tutoring art for an elementary school kid and spending last summer “as an assistant teacher for Horizons at Georgia Tech in their virtual summer program” (Valdosta State Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery, 2021).
The theme of her exhibition is a tribute to feminine identification or “who she is as a woman.” Furthermore, beautification and colors play strong roles in uniting her art. Little Treasures (2019) depicts representations of feminism like the color pink, makeup items, and a girly fan. She throws in a touch of blue for masculine contrast. The items represent a friendship created through an interest in beauty.
Instilled Fear (2020) examines her thoughts on sexual assault, displaying a set of feminine self-defense items like a taser and pepper spray. The bright colors show how beauty influences women to carry lethal weapons because they do not feel safe in their surroundings. Wolf in Woman’s Clothing (2021) flips the script on the classic tall tale Little Red Riding Hood, one of her inspirations. Little Red Riding Hood being viewed as the antagonist or “big, bad wolf” reflects women being dangerously overlooked due to the beauty. Beige is a color that she includes in the piece to represent innocence, while the red hood is a clever signal for viewers to beware. All of these color significations manage to bring these three works together.
Her next artwork is titled Pair of Scissors (2021), made using soft pastels. This painting portrays an unidentified female standing in lingerie pinching her stomach. The title “pair of scissors” conveys a humorous yet subtle connotation. In Steltenpohl’s analysis of the painting, the imagery correlates to a shared thought process that both men and women have had before: they look in the mirror and are dissatisfied with their bodily appearance, thus they pinch rolls of their skin and want to “chop it off” (like a pair of scissors). Furthermore, her utilization of soft pastels reminds her of watercolor, stating that “once you put that pigment on the white surface, it is hard to come off.” Continuing, she proclaims that her struggle with soft pastels was interesting because “it reflected that feeling of struggling with body images.”
Safe, Sane, and Consensual (2021) and Tied Together (2021) correlate to express the topic of sex. Safe, Sane, and Consensual (2021) are screen prints she made that glorify normalizing safe, conscious sex. Moreover, she manages to incorporate the colors of the pansexual flag as a tribute to her sexual orientation. Tied Together (2021) displays the Japanese art of Shibari, a method of restraint that can be used for art. “Sometimes it leads to sex, but some people like me do it for the artistic aspect,” Steltenpohl says. Intimate words overlay the entire foreground of the illustration, while a couple’s bonded hands are shown in the background.
Center of Reproductive Rights Ads 2 and 3 (2020) were another set of digital illustrations targeting the obvious reproductive rights. In her second ad, she emphasizes the tiresome debate reproduction or abortion belonging to a woman, disregarding the government’s input in either one. The text in the ad reads “I’M TIRED OF FIGHTING FOR SOMETHING THAT SHOULDN’T EVEN BE A LEGAL ISSUE.” Although, the third ad is more about choice being a human right. The use of the Supreme Court reinforces her message of protesting since the Supreme Court has had major leverage on deciding the rights of the people.
“The artwork I make deals with my social awkwardness,” the artist explains in her artist statement. “I use printmaking techniques such as intaglio, lithography, and linocut relief as a way to communicate my thoughts and feelings.” Ms. Steltenpohl confirmed her identification as a feminist. he told me how she tries to reveal the repression of feminine strength in a masculine world. After examining her artistic mentality, it is safe to say that she accomplishes everything she intends to in her artworks.
Javian Williams is a sophomore art student at Valdosta State University. After college, Williams plans on going on to do graphic design.