Just because she's been nominated for three local Starvy Awards doesn't mean artist Jennifer Quigley's work is among the “sofa-sized” oil paintings sold every few months at the Airport Marriott. She's a starving artist of a little higher caliber. Jennifer exhibits her American flag paintings and ceramic guitars in The Country Music Hall of Fame, Cafe 123 and, soon, Phil Bredesen's gubernatorial campaign headquarters. Not bad considering early reviews of her talents. “I almost didn't graduate from high school because my art teacher was trying to fail me,” she says. Fortunately, she and Miss Buck worked it out, and Jennifer went on to a Philadelphia arts program. She came to Nashville to work for Gibson Guitar Co., but cubicle life wasn't for her. She prefers her Marathon Village studio, where her canvases are so thoroughly painted as to be practically sculpted. She's making it as a full-time artist, with new shows opening soon, including one at The Melting Pot March 11. But her success hasn't come without concessions. “Relationships, material possessions—I've sacrificed everything, with the exception of my Jeep and my hair care products, for my art,” she says.
—By Jonathan Harwell Jr.
