About Jena
Being an artist always gave me a quiet kind of confidence. As a kid, I never really questioned what the future held—I just knew I’d be a painter.
Along with my three siblings, I was homeschooled by our grandmother and my mother. It was a very private life. I was around 15 when I was enrolled in my first community art class at New Mexico Tech, in my hometown of Socorro, New Mexico.
It was an oil painting class, and it changed everything. My grandmother was incredibly supportive, and she and my mother re-enrolled me year after year. I know it was a financial stretch—my mom was working two jobs most of the time. But that first painting teacher meant the world to me. Her name was Midge Grace, an old war veteran and tough as nails, she taught me a lot about painting and about being a strong woman.
By the time I decided to go to college, I was 21. At this point I was a mom, but still determined to become a formal painter. By then, my painting teacher had retired and moved up north to be near her daughter. She opened the doors to my first job, hired on as her replacement at New Mexico Tech. Stepping into that role gifted me with a lot of challenges —and slowly, courage.
A couple years into college, things got more complicated.... as things will often do.
I became a mother of two—and a single mom. Though my family helped me so much, balancing school and parenting was overwhelming. Juggling motherhood, depression, exhaustion, and financial strain... with a heavy heart I decided to let go of the idea of a formal art career. I leaned into a simpler life, trying to be more present for my children. Being away from them every day to chase something that might never pay off felt too heavy. And yet, I was still painting—still teaching, still freelancing — in many ways, I felt I was already doing what mattered most, degree or no degree.
Then my life changed again. Deciding to follow my childhood dreams of becoming a horsewoman, I took on an internship as a wrangler at a trail riding gig, Acacia Riding Adventures. Under the mentorship of an incredible horseman, Dacodah Herkenoff, I learned far more about these animals then I ever dreamed I would. I went from being that ignorant, "silly horse girl" who knew very little outside the scope of her childhood dreams, to someone who understood not only the strength and unpredictability of horses... but also their true beauty and meaning. The experience both enlightened me and toughened me at once; it was a vital part of the person I am today. I will never forget those years.
Today, I consider myself one of the luckiest people I know. I teach what I lovingly call “Horse Lessons” from my home in New Mexico, with my own little herd under the New Mexico sky. I still teach that same community oil painting class at New Mexico Tech—some 17 years later. Even though I always feel like I could be doing more, I know I’ve passed on a passion for painting to many others, who still reach out to me for my advice years and years later. I've tried to give them what my first teacher gave me: a lifelong friend in art.
These days, I’m happily partnered with a wonderful man, my kids are thriving—they ride horses, go to school, and live as happy, well-adjusted youth. I don’t regret any part of the path that brought me here and I am always growing.