"I really love that feeling I get when I find a quiet place in nature and just be. I tap into my inner-child and let my imagination flow over the colors, shapes, and textures all around me - and I feel my spirit connect to it all. I take pictures, I sketch, and I make notes to capture these bits of inspiration. Then I take them to the canvas - arranged, rearranged, reimagined - and infuse them with the positive energy and vibes that nature has shared with me."
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Jen Little (b. 1972, New Jersey) is a South Florida–based visual artist whose encaustic paintings explore the wonder, mystery, and restorative energy of the natural world. After earning her Bachelor of Arts and building a career in graphic design, she returned to fine art in 2020 with renewed focus and an expanding commitment to fine art.
While she works across acrylic, mixed media, and mural painting, Little’s practice has increasingly centered on encaustic—a luminous, tactile medium composed of molten beeswax and pigment. The unpredictable nature of heated wax, layered and fused through fire, allows her to work intuitively while embracing spontaneity and surprise. Unlike the controlled precision of acrylic, encaustic invites risk, experimentation, and surrender—qualities that have opened what she describes as “an endless approach to being creative.”
Little’s compositions are inspired by her deep connection to nature, yet they are not literal landscapes. Instead, they are imaginative interpretations—glimpses into a world that feels both organic and otherworldly. Clean, contemporary forms evolve into mesmerizing shapes, layered textures, and rhythmic patterns. Luminous color harmonies pulse beneath translucent and textured wax surfaces, creating depth and movement that shift with light and perspective.
Her work reflects a belief that nature holds far more mystery than we can comprehend—and that we are intrinsically part of that mystery. Through her encaustic process, Little seeks to capture intensified moments of perception: fragments of energy, growth, and quiet transformation. Each piece becomes an invitation to slow down, to see with childlike curiosity, and to reconnect with a sense of grounding and renewal.
Little has exhibited widely across South Florida, including two previous solo exhibitions and numerous group shows. In 2024, she received the Best Mixed Media Award at Studios 18 in Pembroke Pines for her encaustic work. She has also completed public mural projects for the cities of Hollywood and Pembroke Pines. An active member of the Sobra Collective, she lives and works in Hollywood, Florida, where her home studio is surrounded by a native garden that continues to influence her evolving body of work.
Through scale, experimentation, and dedication to craft, Little’s encaustic series represents both a technical and conceptual expansion—work that invites viewers to experience nature not as scenery, but as living energy.
Let nature speak. Let art bring joy.