Fine Art Painter and Art Educator.
Jinny Tomozy’s drive to create stems predominately from observation. Through her process, she studies form, depth, and color, often obsessing over subtlety and the effects of contrast. Her observations are usually depicted realistically as an homage to the beauty of the subject. However, at times it is translated into abstract forms. This allows the viewer to develop a diversity of interpretations and be free from the influences of recognizable subject matter.
Jinny grew up exploring the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the vastness of the high desert. As a child, she frequently found herself analyzing the world around her and desired to visually document it. After taking a few art classes in high school and college, Jinny moved to San Francisco to attend The Academy of Art University. She graduated with a BFA in Painting and Drawing in 1999. Following graduation, she was invited back to teach drawing and painting in the Fine Art and Foundations departments. In 2003, Jinny became the Associate Director of the Foundations Department where she focused on developing online curriculum. In 2012, Jinny accepted a position in the Executive Office where she held several roles including Academic Vice President. Through all those years, Jinny continued to teach courses.
After 21 years away, Jinny moved back home and continues teaching online. She rediscovered the high desert with a new appreciation of its immense beauty. The depth of the Sierra Nevada, the saturation of the desert sunsets, and the dusty hues of the sagebrush inspire her every day.
Jinny’s recent direction focuses on the balance of the disparity and analogy between realism and abstraction. She often paints realistically, responding to the moment of light and atmosphere, creating a tangible feeling of that space and time. Then she paints the abstracted versions which will draw out the key hues and elicit a diversity of interpretations and emotions in contrast to the realistic equivalent. The viewer will either gravitate towards one style over another or discover a cohesiveness between the two and search for the relationships they have in common. This investigation in the comparison of these contrasting styles is a time of discovery and procurement of knowledge in the expansion of her creative language.
This time of exploration is supported in part by the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Jinny was the recipient of the Project Grant for Artists in 2023 and 2024.
