4/26/25 GLANC visit with Jenn Shifflet

by Vivien Hart

GLANC had the honor of visiting Jenn Shifflet’s El Cerrito studio on the weekend of Saturday April 26th.

Jenn first picked up the art of drawing from her older brother, when she was 11 years old. She loved it. Growing up in Washington D.C. surrounded by museums she was also supported by a robust art program and an inspiring teacher. She has fond memories of en plein air painting on the mall.

Jenn Shifflet went on to receive an MFA in Arts and Consciousness from J.F.K. University, where she was happy to be able to embrace both her Buddhist spiritual practice as well as her art. Jenn worked for many years as a painter, but became frustrated by her inability to capture light with the medium. She experimented with other materials such as silk and acrylic before stumbling upon glass in 2005. In 2015 she was delighted to experience a residency at Bullseye Glass resource center, initially located in Emeryville (it has now moved to Alameda.) This opportunity gave her time to experiment and learn more about what the medium could offer.

For many years, Jenn worked on abstract gradient wall art that involved firing hundreds of little beads to create gradient images in glass. The backgrounds were supported by a mirrored background.

More recently Jenn shared that she is using photographs of place as a springboard for her work. In this new body of work Jenn shares that she would like people to look outward toward nature, while simultaneously seeing their own image reflected back at them, as a means for self reflection.

GLANC thanks Jenn Shifflet for a very inspiring visit. To see more of Jenn Shifflet's work, please mark your calendars for her next event with K. Imperial fine art Nov. 18th–Dec. 31st, 2025. Please mark your calendars for the opening reception on Dec. 4th from 5-7pm. Otherwise open by appointment.