Jen Tucker

who doesn’t love a flower

Writer: Sam Williams

Growing up in inner- city Sydney in a large family, jen had no space for a large garden. but her Mum had a small patch she cultivated and was always growing seedlings. Sam Williams discovers what Jen is all about.

JEN Tucker, from Sydney’s south, is all about flowers. Her homegrown artworks put Australia’s flora front and center through her incredibly detailed oil works. She first put brush to canvas in the late 1990s. “I was renovating my house in Concord, and I just wanted a big painting or something for the lounge,” says Jen. After unsuccessfully shopping around, she took it upon herself to paint something and found she had a knack for it. “Then, throughout the years, if someone wanted a painting, I would do one, and I’d draw and paint in my spare time.” Jen’s interest in painting, however, truly blossomed during lockdown. “I always had my paints and brushes. So COVID came, and I thought, ‘I’m going to have a go again.’ And then I just fell in love with it.”

Becoming more serious about art post-lockdown, Jen decided to further her craft. Following some classes and a residency in South Australia working with acrylics, Jen wanted to try her hand at oils. “I went to Tracy Saywell in Queensland, and she has a different way of teaching,” says Jen. “And that’s where I took a different sort of turn. Everything was looking a bit more realistic.” And Jen never looked back. As Jen continues to grow as an artist, her flowered artworks pop more and more with their vibrant colours and impressive details and scale.