Image: Self Portrait, A Dream of Flying, long-exposure photograph by Jen Larkin.
“From expansive, windswept sunsets to walking coast to coast across the most remote corners of Britain, my art is a love letter to these sensory wonders. With each piece, I dive into my memories, painting with the hues of imagination and the echoes of countless moments spent in nature.”
– Jen Larkin
Profile
Jen Larkin is a contemporary fine artist who paints wild landscapes and big skies, inspired by long-distance journeys on foot across the British Isles. Drawing upon memories of those experiences, she has developed a uniquely vibrant painting style, which is saturated in colour and light.
Jen graduated from Leeds University in 1999 with a first class BA (Hons) degree in Fine Art, taking the unusual path of running a successful art consultancy business (launched with help from the Prince’s Trust) alongside her own art practice, and working collaboratively within the high-end interior design industry to commission bespoke art schemes.
Her studio is in North Cornwall, UK where she lives with her husband, survival instructor John Hudson FRGS, and Jen’s paintings can be found in private collections, hotels and unique spaces worldwide.
Artist’s Statement
“Raised in the picturesque West Lancashire village of Newburgh, I have always felt a deep connection to the natural world. Perhaps best known for my evocative landscapes that capture the rugged beauty of the British Isles, I find my greatest inspiration during frequent walks across remote moorlands and coastlines, as well as the northern fells and dales. Accompanied by my husband, a survival instructor, my treks through untamed landscapes inject a raw energy into my work, reflecting the unpredictable beauty of the wilderness.
Returning to my studio in rural North Cornwall, nestled near Hawk’s Tor, I bring memories of those experiences to life, creating what I describe as “vibrant compositions that reveal the emotional feel of a place or moment.” Working with oil paint on panel or canvas, I begin with carefully structured under-paintings and bright swathes of colour that will peek through the final layers. These successive, ethereal glazes of paint aim to capture the true essence and energy of a remembered vista as much as its appearance.
My artistic journey has been shaped by a radical reverence for nature, an approach that imbues my pieces with a sense of wildness and authenticity. The natural world is more than a subject for me; it is a collaborator, enhancing my creative process and giving my work a presence that goes beyond mere representation. My path is fueled by an impulse to imagine, to delve beneath the everyday and uncover deeper layers of existence.
In my vision, art and life are inseparable, and I draw on every aspect of the landscapes I love—rugged coastlines, expansive moors, shifting skies, and untamed waters. As well as walking freely, I also enjoy Britain’s great trails such as The Pennine Way and Wainwright’s Coast to Coast Walk, along with following in the footsteps of writers and poets, such as the Herriot and Coleridge Ways. My work invites viewers to experience these landscapes in a deeply personal way, reconnecting them with Britain’s wild spaces in a relationship as powerful as it is peaceful.
In my practice, time spent in nature becomes ‘a spiritual function,’ echoing Kurt Schwitters’ belief that art aims to “free [us] from life’s chaos.” Looking to the future, my paintings offer a hopeful vision of an untethered yet harmonious existence, where nature, beauty, and imagination coexist—and my aim is to create a legacy that is as inspiring as it is enduring.”
– Jen Larkin
Studio Update
You can see Jen’s original paintings and a selection of prints, inspired by Cornwall, at The Picture House Gallery, Padstow
To mark Jen’s return to full-time painting, NEW paintings and series coming soon:
A Coast to Coast Walk (Revisited) - print series
A Pennine Journey - series
Hope Valley & Mam Tor
Great Langdale
Wild Light (Camel Estuary) - tondo series
Sky Music (Cornwall) - tondo series
Skygazing - tondo series
Lone Cloud - series
Bothy Journeys - series
Survival Works - series
Contact
Jen takes commissions, collaborations and exhibitions on a limited basis, according to her availability.
For commission enquiries, please use the questionnaire form on the commissions page.
For collectors, business, media, wholesale or gallery enquiries, you can get in touch via the contact form below (for personal messages please use Instagram)…