BORN TO CREATE
As a shy young girl growing up in Las Vegas I had a lot of different interests but began to realize that when I would draw or paint it made me feel alive more than anything else! I realized I had a true passion for making art. I absolutely loved having the freedom to use my imagination and emotions to create something out of nothing and to have the freedom to express myself however I wished. I loved that there were no rules and to me it was a form of communication I felt much more comfortable with than speaking, since I was so shy.
I knew I had a passion for art and wanted to pursue it further so I excitedly auditioned for a public arts high school and was accepted to the Las Vegas Academy as a fine art major and was able to learn a lot of the basic techniques and grow in my talent. During this time my style began to emerge. One of the key things for me was to take a sketchbook everywhere I went and I would draw whatever came to mind. It helped me express myself, get feedback and find my artistic voice. I also loved sitting for hours in the 'art section' at bookstores and libraries, soaking in the work of my favorite artists, like Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Keith Haring, and Marc Chagall.
"At 17, I made up my mind that I was going to be a full-time artist."
THE BEGINNING DAYS
By the time I was 17 I had made up my mind that I was going to be a full-time artist. I had a big dream and a clear vision of who I would become one day. I believe God planted this vision in my heart and I have never lost sight of it. All I can say is it was WAY bigger than me but I believed it was possible with God. I had no clue how it would all come together but I began to step out in faith and got started RIGHT AWAY!
With the help of my mom, I bravely, but nervously made an appointment to show my work to a local gallery called Art Encounter when I was a Jr. in high school. My portfolio was made of two yellow poster boards that were stapled together with my various works tucked inside. Luckily they decided to take a chance on my work even though they had nothing like it in their gallery. I was THRILLED to say the least!
Within the first week my work began to sell and continued to sell more and more. I was working hard to keep up with schoolwork and create new art for the gallery.
To me this confirmed that I was made to do this and I was on the right path. I made up my mind that I would not go to college but instead open up my own art studio and pour myself into being an artist, which went against what everyone thought I should do. I was told I should get some type of degree and have a backup plan so I wouldn't be a 'starving artist", but I was determined to listen to what was in my heart!..and If I wasn't going to go to college it also meant that I was cut off financially from my parents at 18 so I had to trust God and make this work.
Just before turning 18, I took a step of faith and got the keys to my own art studio just before graduating high school with the money I was earning from the art sales and devoted myself to creating art.
My work continued to sell well and I became the gallery's best-seller that first year with about 125 paintings sold! The owner of the gallery took notice and became my exclusive agent and began to market me and my work all over the country, especially in my hometown of Las Vegas. There was a lot of great press and things were moving quickly in the right direction! I was one happy hard-working young artist!
FAST FORWARD...
I have had the honor and blessing of living my dream as a successful full-time artist ever since and this was only by the grace of God. I have shown my work in galleries all over the country and in Canada with collectors continuing to grow from all over the world. In 2002 I opened the 'Jennifer Main Gallery' in the Las Vegas Arts District and moved to a few different locations over the years as I had the opportunity to grow. In 2011 God kept impressing on my heart that Los Angeles was to be my new home and to “Go forward”. I trusted his word and in 2012 my husband and I took a BIG risk and moved everything to downtown Los Angeles. LA has been a unique and exciting journey to say the least! It’s been a mix of experiences requiring lots of faith. We initially opened our gallery in a cool live/work space and then moved to a storefront gallery in the business district, and then back to a live/work situation and have since moved to Orange County after 12 years in Los Angeles. What's been amazing is to see how God has used the art and gallery spaces to reach so many people. I have so many testimonies I could share!
Trusting God's word, we took a BIG risk and moved everything to Downtown LA!
Currently...
In 2023, I began to feel that familiar God-tug on my heart to move, like I experienced when we left Las Vegas for Los Angeles. This time the Lord was confirming that we were to move to Orange County, which is about an hour or so South of LA, and is a completely opposite atmosphere.
Part of the reason is that my husband and I got connected to our new church family at House of Glory, which is in Orange County. We had been commuting to church for a few years and during my time in LA I was becoming increasingly called into ministry and even started the House of Joy church in 2020 which was held in our live/work space downtown. I was officially ordained as a pastor in 2022 and have continued in God's call. Right now I am part of the pastoral team at House of Glory church and House of Joy is continuing as an online prayer and bible teaching ministry.
I have switched gears with my art and have begun doing local pop-up shows which I greatly enjoy! I have also been inspired to add a boutique line of jewelry and unique gifts called "Main Boutique". Each item is representative of a truth about God. I am growing my website and plan to also build my YouTube channel so I can share my art journey along with testimonies, and teaching.
I am excited to see this new chapter unfold!
MY STYLE + INSPIRATION
Most of my work is marked by bold vibrant color along with a fun sense of whimsy. I like painting from my imagination and to use my work to illustrate the unseen spiritual realities. My goal is to share my heart openly on the canvas and to communicate the heart of God as he paints through me. My paintings are less about decoration and more about a message or a deeper story. I love how art is such a powerful communicator and when it's speaking the Truth is makes a lasting impact on the viewer.
"MY PAINTINGS ARE LESS ABOUT DECORATION AND MORE ABOUT A MESSAGE"
I have learned from experience that some of the best things can come out of the darkest times. I struggled with severe anxiety, depression, self-hatred, same-sex attraction, and alcoholism, but in my darkness God answered my cries for help and pulled me into his light more and more as I opened up to His love and grace. He has set me free and given me so much joy! On my journey I came to know Jesus in a way that is so real and from my gratitude for what he has done in my life I create my art. It just flows from my heart and onto the canvas! I love getting to share his love with you in this way!
BLESSINGS
HIGHLIGHTS FROM OVER THE YEARS
- Art on MTv's "Real World San Diego",
- Art on HGTV's "Million Dollar Rooms"
- Art on Discovery Channel's "American Casino"
- Art show at Bloomingdale's Home store Las Vegas
- Featured at Venetian's Canyon Ranch Spa
- Artwork featured at the red carpet premiere of Warner Brother's movie "Racing Stripes" starring Hayden Panettiere
- Two pieces are in the permanent collection at the Smith Center for The Performing Arts in Las Vegas
- Featured artist at The Wildflower Arts and Music Festival in Texas, The Jazz and Art Festival at Mt Charleston, Boulder City's 'Art in the Park' in Nevada, and the Calabasas Fine Art Festival in Southern California
- Illustrated a children's book by author Michael Chapman called "George the Giraffe Thinks He Has No Neck"
- MeadWestVaco (the largest manufacturer of school supplies) published my art calendar internationally
- My work was licensed for the cover and theme of two college level psychology textbooks
- Painted live portraits at CRN Computer Industry Hall of Fame. These portraits included Jim Clark (venture entrepreneur and founder of Netscape), Alvy Ray Smith (co-founder of Pixar Animation), Ted Codd, Chris Date, John Seely Brown, and Bob Huang.
- Artist in residence at various elementary schools in Alberta, Canada where I was able to teach my style and share my story to kids
- Guest speaker at the GETCA Teachers Convention where I taught teachers new methods of teaching art.
GIVING BACK
I LOVE USING ART TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
I believe it is so important to give back to the community that supports me and to various causes I have a heart for. God has blessed me immensely, giving me the talents and success to ultimately be used to help the lives of others in one way or another; whether financially, or through teaching, speaking, or volunteering. I have had the privilege of speaking and teaching at all Las Vegas Boys and Girls Clubs and Shade Tree Women's Shelter in Las Vegas. I paint live for many charities during their big fundraising galas, where the painting is auctioned off to raise fairly large sums of money.
One year’s painting auctioned sold for $32,000 to benefit St. Jude Children's Hospital. Other organizations I have consistently supported are March of Dimes, Grant a Gift for Autism, New Horizon Academy, Project Sunshine for Children's Cancer and The American Heart Association to mention a few. It’s so rewarding to see how art can be used to do so much for others!
THANKFUL FOR YOU!
AN ARTIST IS NOTHING WITHOUT THOSE WHO SUPPORT IT
