The Monkey's Rain Coat

Considered a third generation [Abstract Expressionist](/gene/abstract-expressionism) painter, Bill Jensen made canvasses, often inspired by Chinese poetry and Buddhism, that sought to ignite areas of psyche and memory and create powerful emotional connections. [Albert Pinkham Ryder](/artist/albert-pinkham-ryder), [Marsden Hartley](/artist/marsden-hartley), [Arthur Dove](/artist/arthur-dove), and [Clyfford Still](/artist/clyfford-still) are all touchstones for Jensen’s vigorous, landscape-like abstractions, where shape, line, and intense color follow unpredictable yet harmonious paths. Unlike many of the painters of his generation, Jensen has not developed and maintained a signature style, but prefers to let the process of making each piece determine the direction of the image. 'Change is good for art but hard on the artist," he says. "I feel that serious artists go into the studio day after day and let the art slowly take them, sometimes kicking and screaming, into new territories."

Minneapolis, MN, USA