If you do not know Jenny Willigrod, chances are that you have benefited from something she has brought to life in Fountain Hills. She is a volunteer extraordinaire. From her early days in leadership with the Mom’s Club, PTA, and PTO to fifteen years with the Fountain Hills Cultural and Civic Association, she has done much to improve the quality of life we all enjoy here.
Jenny’s background in graphic design and art led to numerous opportunities to create school play backdrops and even murals at Fountain Park. Today, she serves as the Chair of the Public Art Committee.
Now let us introduce you to Jenny Willigrod the artist!
If you have seen her art around town, you are not likely to forget it. A good way to describe her artistic style is “Southwest Whimsical”. Her scenes of the Southwest and Mexico are filled with bright, bold colors that evoke feelings of happiness.
“In this area of the world, the land can be harsh, and the desert can be a muted palette of browns and grays,” Jenny says. “But it never fails that amid all that dullness, a bright spot of color exists. I am inspired by these bursts of color. There is the brilliance of a pink cactus blossom or a shimmering adobe wall under a moonlit desert sky.”
All her pieces are created with chalk pastels on black paper. “Pastels are a great medium for my work. They allow me to achieve the bright pigments with beautiful blends and free-flowing color combinations.”
Recently a student of textile design at Iqra University Islamabad in Pakistan reached out to Jenny. She was given an assignment to find an artist whose work she found amusing and to replicate it. Jenny shared the finished piece on her Facebook page at @JennyWilligrodArtist.
Jenny’s work can be seen at the Fountain Hills Artist’s Gallery, On the Edge Gallery in Scottsdale, and Van Gogh’s Ear Gallery in Prescott.
