Jenna Sjunneson McDanold
As a child I was obsessed with reproducing M.C. Escher’s geometric drawings that defy the laws of physics, and as an adult I worked as a carpenter and theatrical scenic artist, painting backdrops and faux finishes for theatre shows, museum exhibits, and murals. I started my pyrography work in the early 2000s when I was given an advanced woodburning tool that has served me well over the last 15 years. I have earned two masters degrees in mathematics over the last decade and currently teach math to undergraduate students during the day. I will be attending the Rochester Institute of Technology in the fall of 2018 to seek a PhD in Math Modelling with the hope to research modelling wildland fire behavior. My artwork helps me unwind after a long day of left brain work. I currently have some of my smaller work at the Chicago boutique Paperish Mess, and I’m hoping to continue to create throughout my career as a mathematician.
Other facts about me:
- Everything I ever needed to know about life I learned from Star Trek Next Generation. Really. Everyone should watch this show. The world would be a much better place.
- I still want to impress my parents.
- Pyrography and painting calm me.
- I am a 38 year old female human being.
- I live by the Theodore Roosevelt quote, "Do what you can with what you have where you are."
- Survival is sometimes a chore.
- As a teenager, I played ice hockey for the Portland women's team the Rose City Bandits. (The club in the link didn't exist when I played, which was the late 90s.)
- As a result of the previous bullet point, I am a big ice hockey fan and have been for a very long time. Blackhawks. 1934, 1938, 1961, 2010, 2013, 2015...