Jennifer Hirshfield's subject matter derives from her desire to capture humanity's need to connect with nature.  Being in the moment, an active "mindfulness" allows the the past and future to slip away. Nature's ability to facilitate this meditation is what draws Hirshfield and to wild places. And these places, where one’s ability to immerse himself or herself entirely while looking at a rock, tide pool, the ocean, functions as the fulcrum of this body of work.

 

Hirshfield's paintings are autobiographical in nature, yet have abstracted qualities much like Elmer Bischoff's work.  Her application of paint with heavy hand speaks of a long history, tied to her studies at Davis and her love of Bay Area Figurative painting.  It has been made quite clear over the last 20 years that she has a great understanding of color.  Her work possesses a real, positive, glowing feel to it that one senses is real. Not only does she have a vibrant palette: her joie de vivre is obvious in the work.