From March 7 to May 2, 2026, the Firehouse Arts Center hosted the “Geometry in the Landscapes” in its lobby. The exhibit featured 15 oil paintings from Jenna Hobbs, presenting the evolution of her artistic style.
Finding Geometry
A major theme of “Geometry in the Landscapes” is showcasing Hobbs’ transition from geometric abstractionism to a more realistic, landscape-focused style. Her earlier work is generally bright, with natural objects depicted in simple shapes, such as triangular trees and diamond-shaped dry bushes. On the other hand, her newer artwork depicts towns, gardens, or everyday locations where geometry is naturally present in the composition.
“I was painting geometric abstraction in nature scenes, and then I transitioned to finding geometry in the landscape naturally, usually through architecture or other strange human-made stuff, and then I incorporate the geometry of that into my landscape scenes,” said Hobbs.
A notable feature of the exhibit, “Blue Agave Club,” depicts a scene of the Main Street restaurant with the same name. The gouache version of the painting was featured as part of the California Watercolor Association’s 56th international exhibition.
“[Blue Agave Club] was the moment where I was like ‘Okay, human and nature, they’re symbiotic in this scene. There’s some palm trees and a pink flower coming up, but then there’s umbrellas.’ When I saw it, I had to paint it, and I painted it in oil and gouache. I’m always thinking back to trying to get that same composition effect in my future scenes—it’s been a keystone in this new endeavor I’ve been going through,” said Hobbs.
Hobbs’ Artistic Journey
Jenna grew up in Boston, but moved to California in 2012 to work at Yosemite National Park for a summer. She was so inspired by California’s wilderness that she decided to stay. Nature has always been an inspiration for Hobbs, and you can find green in a majority of her works.
“My starting point in California was [working at] a national park, so I’ve always thought of that as my home base. I try to find pockets of nature wherever I go. But lately, what’s been inspiring me is when nature intersects with human influence,” said Hobbs.
Many of Hobbs’ earlier works portray colorful scenes. She notes “Sky Trail” as one of her best geometric abstract works, a scene depicting flowers and grass against a bright, multicolored background. Her new work, however, finds its composition through the mix of human and natural elements. Instead of her previous bright style, she uses colors more subtly and highlights certain elements.
“I try to work with midtones, more neutral colors and values, so like grays, and then I work my way towards higher contrast, the darkest darks and the lightest lights slowly. And then when I put my highlights, because everything is so midtone, the highlight will pop way more,” said Hobbs.
Hobbs’ Message to Artists
As Hobbs points out, her art style has evolved over time. One of her recent works, “Window Sill Life”, recently won Second Place in Modern Impressionist Magazine’s February/March competition. She encourages people to pursue art in any way they want to.
“The best thing to do right now is to pursue your passion. If you like digital drawing, go for it. If you like traditional media, go for that. I don’t think there’s a should anymore because there’s so much unpredictability, you should just do what you enjoy because we don’t know what the future holds,” said Hobbs.
