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Jenna Andersen’s Intricate, Surreal Illustrations

Jenna Andersen, an artist/illustrator based in Williamsburg, Va., creates immersive, hyperdetailed scenes, often with surreal overtones. The artist often injects only pops of color into her personal work, rendering natural backdrops in intricate linework, with her animal and human subjects as the pieces’ points of entry. In other works, these typically monochromatic settings are given lush, gouache hues.


Jenna Andersen, an artist/illustrator based in Williamsburg, Va., creates immersive, hyperdetailed scenes, often with surreal overtones. The artist often injects only pops of color into her personal work, rendering natural backdrops in intricate linework, with her animal and human subjects as the pieces’ points of entry. In other works, these typically monochromatic settings are given lush, gouache hues.

Leaning on these woodland backgrounds, Andersen is able to evoke both a playful and eerie mood with the “ghosts” in several of these works. Hidden within the brush and leaves are often hidden icons and objects that add intrigue to each narrative.

Andersen is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, graduating in 2015 before heading into a career as an illustrator and designer. Her personal work has been shown at Helikon Gallery, Gallery 5, Light Grey Art Lab, The Anderson Gallery, This Century Art Gallery, and other spots across the U.S.

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