Artist Inspired by Music, Movies and her Grandmother
June 1, 2007
By Josh Grosteffon of the Midland Daily News Jenny Eastman realizes it's going to be hard to break into the art world. "The artistic career path is one of the hardest to be successful with, so you never really know what the future holds," she said. But that doesn't mean she isn't going to try. article credit: Midland Daily News/ourverge.com
Eastman, 20, has had her hands in a few different projects despite calling this year a break before heading off to art school. These projects include a comic book with a former teacher, a single-piece art auction for the American Cancer Society, entries for an exhibit at the Alden B. Dow Museum and pages of sketches and drawings displayed on her website at www.eastmanartist.com.
"As of right now, I'm building my portfolio for art school, which is a daily thing, pushing myself a little harder each day," she said.
The comic book is called "Unearthly Covenant" and is the story of a group of friends drawn into a struggle between an ancient sect of vampires that covertly rules the world and those trying to overthrow the secret undead overlords, she said.
"He (English teacher Christopher Schram) created it about 10 years ago and the artist he had lined up at the time didn't work out," Eastman said. "Now he's resurrected the idea and recruited me do to the artwork."
Eastman also completed another experiment, a charity auction of a work called "Where Heaven Stops and the Earth Begins." The work is inspired by the film "Forrest Gump" and her grandmother, Lillian Grace Eastman, who died of leukemia when Jenny was 10. She said she wanted a chance to give back with her art.
"She's the one who encouraged me to draw before I knew how," she said.
Pop culture, films and especially music are big inspirations for Eastman. Her online portfolio is filled with portraits of bands and movie stars. Music and art for her, and other creative people, go hand in hand.
"I'm sure most artists will tell you that while they work, they have music going," she said. "I'm no different."
Inspirational artists for her range from the classic Elvis to the more modern Blink 182. And before art, music was her thing since she was a little kid, whether it was banging on pots or pans, teaching herself how to play instruments or teaching her kindergarten friends about Buddy Holly.
And like a rock star, she, of course, wants to experience the equivalent of selling out Madison Square Garden, by being in a gallery where everyone knows her work or by having her creations brought to life via animation on television or movies. But mostly, she wants people to see she wasn't a "lost cause" she said.
"I was usually viewed as ‘trouble' in school," she said, adding she wants to show those who thought that that "I actually turned out to be a pretty good kid.
"Other than that I just mainly want to go on to get better at what I do, create cartoons and animate them and be somewhat successful in doing what I want."
