Jennie De Groot’s paintings occupy a space where reality, imagination and memory all hold equal tenancy. Her interest in memory, or what passes for memory, is synthesised in her work as trace in the landscape.  These psychological landscapes hold the tension between realism and abstraction, place and non-place. Jennie agrees with Diane Arbus's statement , " It's what I have never seen before that I recognise".  The tension between representation and abstraction is as much a player in her works as the subject depicted.  

Born in England and educated in South Africa , a Bachelor of Arts degree in Archaeology was Jennie's  introduction to the narrative in the landscape. She recently completed a Masters of Visual Arts degree with the aim to broaden the scope of her subject matter, extending beyond landscape painting to include specifics that offer more rigour to her practice. The introduction of the figure and urban spaces has facilitated opportunity to build additional meaning in the work.

Jennie’s status as immigrant informs her creative practice, exploring themes of identity and adaptation.  The loss of the familiar vies with the excitement of new opportunities, linking them through the vehicle of painting . A keen observer of contemporary issues, Jennie weaves narratives around these issues from the particular perspective of Generation X. Diane Arbus's statement resonates:" I see myself in things that are not me". The image is recognisably familiar to be comforting but different in a way that keeps the viewer interest and invested in establishing a personal understanding.

Jennie notes that the painting process has to be fresh and interesting, for her own pleasure. She favour oils , builds up layers, scales surfaces , moves paint around and uses her tools creatively to make marks that remain in the finished painting.