MILWAUKEE — The independent professional art world is a competitive one. For some artists, it takes many years to find a niche and a steady stream of clients.
Jennifer Espenscheid is a custom artist who lives and works in her home in Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood.
Through the years, she’s added many artistic mediums to her repertoire. Her career started with murals.
“And every time someone would ask for something, I would say yes and learn how to do it, so it has been this beautiful arc of evolution adding things to the repertoire, always coming up with new and fresh things,” Espenscheid said.
Murals soon morphed into huge metal sculptures. The Bay View artist said she had no formal art training.
“My degree is in architecture and urban planning and learned a lot about the design process there and how to best utilize your time so you could have some sleep and then started traveling and painting murals,” she said.
Espenscheid said she’s recently added projection and moving visuals to her art works. She said it allows her to make events, stages and huge spaces, a canvas for much lighter and faster installations.
She said each project has a story that she discovers as she works with her clients. She said she loves telling their stories through her work in Wisconsin and around the nation.
“It means freedom, it means liberation really, to be able to do what I love to do and, you know, represent where I’m from and be able to spread this inspiration all over,” said Espenscheid.
She said she’s found opportunities both with private patrons and businesses here in Wisconsin and around the country. She’s been commissioned in big cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.
Espenscheid said she has also featured her work at “Burning Man” and “Love Burn Miami.”
Bill Bonifas is a Milwaukee real estate executive and jazz musician. He’s commissioned Espenscheid to do several pieces for him.
“Milwaukee is an international city in many areas, and I would say in the art world that’s true,” said Bonifas.
Bonifas said one of the projects he commissioned from Espenscheid was deeply personal.
“I had a recording I put together and, really just for close friends, called ‘Heart Strings’ which is a series of songs about both a wonderful and very difficult part of my life,” he said.
Bonifas said the album cover Epenscheid designed captured his vision in music and helped him cope with some major life challenges.
Espenscheid said she’s grateful for the trust her clients have in her when they tell her their deepest moments in life.
“All these are opportunities for us to really sink into our source, find our grit and keep making beautiful things, and I feel everyone is an artist,” said Espenscheid.
