Jenne Giles
Art as Exploration: From Metal to Fiber, Structure to Softness
For Jenne Giles, art has always been more than just an act of creation—it has been a way to navigate the world, express identity, and build community. Raised in a household that valued literacy, music, and artistic play, she was encouraged to experiment freely. Her mother, a trained arts educator, fostered an environment where making messes was just part of the creative process, whether through painting, imaginative play, or even cooking.
From an early age, Giles knew she had a role to play as an artist. As a child, she and a classmate became the unofficial artists of their school, crafting mermaids and horse drawings for their peers. But art became more than a childhood skill—it became a refuge. When traditional school environments felt isolating, it was her time in Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) that showed her what was possible: a space where differences were celebrated, creativity was nurtured, and art was taken seriously.
A Journey Through Mediums: From Metalwork to Fiber Art
Giles’ formal education in art has been a winding path of curiosity, discipline, and reinvention. She began studying at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston but soon found herself returning to Houston to study at Rice University, where she completed her degree in Art & Art History. It was there, during her senior year, that she fell back in love with metal sculpture, a medium that would shape much of her early career.
But her artistic development didn’t follow a straightforward academic trajectory. Though she pursued an MFA, institutional barriers, credit transfer issues, and the rigid structure of BFA programs forced her to find her own path. Instead of staying in the traditional academic world, she moved to San Francisco, where she immersed herself in the city's underground art scene, becoming a part of a thriving creative movement.
For five years, she apprenticed as a metalworker, building large-scale sculptures and installations, including four major Burning Man-funded projects. She experimented with costume design, performance art, and interactive pieces, continually pushing the boundaries of what art could be.
It was during this period that she also discovered fiber arts—specifically felting. At first, it was an unconventional shift—going from the industrial strength of steel to the soft, organic texture of wool. But she quickly realized that felting offered something unique: a bridge between painting and sculpture, a way to blend form, texture, and color in entirely new ways.
"Steel is cold, sleek, and rigid, but it bends to heat. Wool is soft, flexible, and unpredictable, but it also has its own kind of structure. Every medium has its magic."
A Multidisciplinary Approach: Pushing the Limits of Materials
Giles’ work is not bound by a single medium—instead, she embraces the tension between materials, techniques, and ideas.
Her approach is both deliberate and experimental:
Metal and fiber often coexist in her pieces, with steel providing structure and wool allowing for intricate detailing.
She constantly reinvents her techniques—originally viewing wet-felting as “real” felting, she later discovered needle-felting’s sculptural possibilities.
She uses animal forms as a recurring motif, drawn to their symbolic power and the way wool can mimic fur, texture, and lifelike qualities.
Her work is rich with contrasts—combining the sensual with the unsettling, the delicate with the industrial, the playful with the profound.
"I like materials that override the rational brain and appeal directly to the senses. I like shimmering, tactile surfaces that dazzle and surprise. I like to explore the balance of beauty and decay, joy and sadness, attraction and repulsion."
Themes and Symbolism: Life, Death, and the Stories We Tell
Giles’ art is deeply rooted in narrative. Whether through felting, sculpture, or installations, her pieces explore:
Life and death – How fleeting and fragile existence is.
Our relationship with the natural world – What we take, what we leave behind, and how we coexist with the creatures around us.
Cultural lessons from history – How symbols, myths, and collective memory shape human experience.
She is particularly fascinated by the power of symbolism in animals, selecting creatures that carry cultural, emotional, and psychological weight. Whether it’s a raven, a bee, or a wolf, her subjects act as storytellers, messengers, and mirrors to the human condition.
Process and Routine: Finding Discipline in Chaos
Despite the fluidity of her creative approach, Giles believes in structure and routine when it comes to making art.
Mornings are for heavy creative work—sculpting, felting, and problem-solving.
Afternoons are for research, material sourcing, and detail work.
Evenings are reserved for family and reflection.
She thrives on rituals of making, particularly when constructing felt sculptures:
Wire framework – Establishing the gestural form.
Base layers of wet-felted wool – Creating volume and shape.
Dyeing custom colors – Achieving realism and depth.
Detail work with needle-felting – Refining textures and forms.
For Giles, art is problem-solving. Each piece presents a new challenge, a new puzzle to unravel. Creative blocks don’t intimidate her—instead, she respects them as necessary pauses in the creative cycle.
"Your subconscious mind is always working. Sometimes, the best thing to do is step away, trust the process, and let the answers come in their own time."
Looking Forward: Bigger Ideas, Bigger Impact
While Giles has spent much of her career as an "outsider artist," she is now looking to expand her reach and push her work into larger-scale, institutional spaces.
Her future goals include:
Creating more narrative-driven, large-scale paintings that incorporate light and sound.
Exploring collaborations with sound designers and engineers to bring new sensory dimensions to her work.
Pursuing an MFA to deepen her critical practice and gain greater institutional support.
While she embraces the DIY ethos that has defined much of her career, she also sees value in bridging the gap between underground art and mainstream recognition.
"I love the raw energy of outsider art, but I also want to create pieces that reach wider audiences, carry bigger ideas, and have a lasting impact."
Final Thoughts: Art as a Lifeline
At its core, Giles’ work is about being present, about using art to fully engage with life. She believes that art is both a personal and communal act, a way to:
Process the world around us.
Create new narratives and reimagine old ones.
Challenge perspectives and invite deeper thought.
"Appreciate life. Don’t waste this precious gift of being here. Art reminds us of our power—the power to create, the power to communicate, and the power to imagine something greater."
For Giles, art isn’t just a profession—it’s a necessity.
It is a lifeline, a way of making sense of the world, and a reminder to always, always keep pushing forward.
