Darkness and Light: Subtleties of the Soul--Paintings by Bohemia Gallery Owner Inger Jorgensen

You'd be hard pressed to find someone else as active in the Southern Oregon art community as Inger Jorgensen.  She is the co-owner of Bohemia Gallery & Framing, has been involved in the Briscoe Art Wing, was an early member of the Public Art Commission as well as the co-founder of Ashland's Midsummer's Dream festival which she also ran for the first two years of its existence.  In addition, she has volunteered in local schools, teaching art and working with middle school and high school students designing and creating murals.  If she didn't already have enough on her plate, Jorgensen is also the multi-talented vocalist and songwriter with accomplished band Bohemian Soul along with her partner, world-renowned guitarist Jeff Pevar.

A graduate of Humboldt state with a BA in fine art, Jorgensen has been doing art her entire life.  Painting primarily in oils (although sometimes dabbling in India Ink on paper), she gravitates toward the feminine form for her artwork.  “I often use female models as a reference for my paintings,” she says.  “I'm interested in trying to convey aspects of what I think is their divine nature.”    

She is also inspired by humanity and spirituality, but mostly what she describes as “The Unknown.”

“What anybody is trying to do with art of any kind is to try to connect with that unknown piece—or  the great mystery—and that, to me, is what art is all about,”  she says.  “The realization is that the more that I know, the less I know,” she adds.  “I still have more lessons and more growing.  Art is always like that for me.  I never get to the place where I feel like I've arrived with my art—at least not yet.”  “The most important thing at this point in my life is to stay in the moment when I create art.”

In discussing what she is trying to convey to viewers, Jorgensen says, “I want people to get what they get from my art.”  “I want them to have their own personal experience.”  “If I'm lucky, maybe that will come from a  profound or deep place.”  “And,” she adds laughing, “hopefully it's positive.”

Inger intends to continue to stay busy in the Southern Oregon art community, teaching and mentoring kids and promoting art whenever and wherever she can.