Meet psychedelic artist and Miley Cyrus pal Jen Stark

Her career is serious goals


Artist Jen Stark has an impressively diverse resume, even for your typical multi-tasking millennial. The Miami-born psychedelic artist has taken the world by storm with her crazy-colorful layered paper sculptures, teaming up with everyone from Miley Cyrus (she designed the stage and promo materials for Cyrus’s 2015 turn hosting the VMAs) to Facebook (they commissioned her to create a massive mural in their office).

Stark’s latest high-profile collab is with Google, as part of their Artworks series — an ongoing project in which artists and designers create “live cases” that communicate with Google’s new Pixel phone. Other participants include Opening Ceremony, Jeremy Scott and Jeff Koons. Basically, these cases are stylish as fuck and will put your Mophie to absolute shame.

In the interest of finding out how we too can have her life, we caught up with Stark to hear about pursuing a creative career, making it in the art world, and yes, hanging out with Miley.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BD1Mqihqa_N/?taken-by=jenstark&hl=en

When did you decide you wanted to become an artist?

From a young age I was always interested in creating artwork. I would wake up early before my family, and draw or make collages by myself. My grandfather was a hobby painter and would invite me over to his house for watercolor sessions. He is the one who sparked my first serious interests. Luckily my parents saw this and decided to put me in art classes in school, which I am so grateful for. I never imagined I’d be doing such an amazing collaboration with Google. They are such a creative company, and gave me lots of freedom with this project. I’m happy to create such accessible artwork that people can use and enjoy each day.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

I’m inspired by all sorts of things: nature, the universe, mystery, fractals, and much more. I’ve always had a deep fascination for nature and how it relates to science and spirituality. I feel there is a parallel between different shapes within our universe: like how the Fibonacci spiral equation relates to so many things in nature, from the shape of shell to how a fern unfurls. Sacred geometry is a big inspiration in my work. Lately the psychedelic world and the mysteries of consciousness are things that have been most prevalent in my work and thoughts. Through my work, I’m trying to create a bridge between all these magical things, and hopefully make a great discovery or inspire others.

https://www.instagram.com/p/_gvRmwqa_C/?taken-by=jenstark&hl=en

It’s clear from your work that you love color. Have you always been that way?

Yes, I’ve always been drawn to bright colors. In nature, color is a way to get someone’s attention: from a poisonous frog warning a predator off with their vibrant color patterns, to a ripe red berry ready to be eaten. To me, color brings a sense of awe and wonder. Sometimes I choose rainbow gradients, but other times I like to choose colors that are almost opposite each other side-by-side so they ‘pop out’ and get the viewer’s attention.

There’s something super personal about one’s phone. It’s this thing you carry around with you all the time that serves as a portal to the rest of the world. How does it feel to know people will be interacting with your work on a daily basis?

People are typically on their phones all day, so it is very exciting to think that my artwork will be enjoyed so much and get so much exposure. It is flattering that people will choose to decorate something they are using all day with my designs.

Your work is super detailed. How long does it take you to create one of your more large-scale pieces?

The process goes like this: I think about the kind of piece I want to make, what kind of paper to use, and then make a sketch of it. Once I have a general idea of what it might look like, I begin cutting. I cut each layer by hand with an X-acto knife. It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to finish a sculpture, depending on the complexity and size.

https://www.instagram.com/p/7LZnF8qa8N/

What has been your experience of being a young woman in the art world, which has a history of being a very “old white dude”-dominated space?

I’m happy to be paving the way for female artists in the art world. I think it’s important for everyone to view us with the same respect, and am happy to be a part of this.

How did your collaboration with Miley come about, and what was it like to work with her?

Working with Miley Cyrus was a fun cosmic coincidence. I had met her one night through my friend Wayne Coyne (of the Flaming Lips) and a couple days later MTV was pitching my work to her for the VMA’s. It felt like it was meant to be and a good psychedelic match. She has a very creative vision and is a free spirit who speaks her mind and knows what she wants. That project was surreal and really helped my art grow and think outside of the box. I’ve had a lot more eyes on my work because of that exposure which has been amazing.