Who am I?
If you're new here, or if it's been a while, let's start fresh, it’s a new year afterall. I'm Jen Garrido, the artist behind Jenny Pennywood. I was born and raised on the west side of Los Angeles and now live and work in the Bay Area. I have a BFA in painting from Sonoma State University and an MFA in Studio Arts from Mills College in Oakland. At my core, I'm a painter, that's always been my foundation. That foundation shapes everything I create, but as you'll see, there's a lot more to the story now.
Where did Jenny Pennywood start?
Jenny Pennywood was born in 2008 during a studio conversation with an old studio mate. We were working side by side, brainstorming names for what I was calling my "alter art ego"—and just like that, Jenny Pennywood came to life.
Jenny vs. Jen?
I go by Jen, but lots of people call me Jenny, which makes total sense. I could have picked a completely different name for this project, but there was something that felt right about Jenny Pennywood. And for those who are Jennifers, we all understand there's a difference between a Jen and a Jenny and a Jennifer. Jenny isn't technically my name, but I'll answer to it. But Jen is what I go by.
Why did it start + why did I need an alter art ego?
I created Jenny Pennywood as a way to hide … specifically from an art world that often looked down on commercial work. I had a strong desire to operate in a different creative space, and giving that work another name felt like protection. It allowed me to explore usefulness, pattern, and production without fear of it undermining my fine art practice.
Those narratives don’t hold the same weight for me now, and the landscape has shifted in general. But at the time, the feeling was real and powerful. Jenny Pennywood gave that impulse somewhere to go, and in doing so, became something lasting.
Over the years, Jenny Pennywood explored all kinds of creative and design work and eventually grew organically into textile design. What started as a secret side project became a bustling business with years of experience behind it. And somewhere along the way, this "alter ego" stopped being separate from me, and is very much a part of me. She has her own personality and I find myself tapping into her spirit and her energy every single day utilizing it in so many different ways.
Where are we now + where are we going?
In 2026, Jenny Pennywood isn’t hiding anymore. I spent much of 2025 coming to terms with something I’d been doing for a long time. In some ways, I was hiding behind Jenny Pennywood. In other ways, Jen Garrido felt stuck behind it. Because Jenny Pennywood became the more public-facing part of what I do, it sometimes felt like the truest parts of me were blocked. Now it feels integrated. Jenny Pennywood is a fully accepted part of who I am, and the work is evolving to reflect that.
The biggest pivot is that we’re leaning into a concept I call patterned basics and moving away from the home goods category. Don't get me wrong, I love designing for the home, and I'll still create one tabletop collection a year plus maybe some smaller pieces throughout. We're also re-envisioning fabric by the yard, which will relaunch later in 2026. But the reality is that home goods sell slowly and require significant upfront investment, so it's time to shift focus.
What are patterned basics?
Patterned basics are those items you always reach for, t-shirts, sweatshirts, undies, socks, the things that need to be soft, comfortable, and make you feel at home in your own skin. These are the pieces where you feel casual, laid back, and at your best. By adding pattern, color, and that lived-in, loved quality to these everyday essentials, my hope is that instead of reaching for that plain white t-shirt, you'll grab for a Jenny Pennywood one.
patterned basics
/ˈpa-tərnd ˈbā-siks/
noun
Everyday clothing and foundational garments, such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, underwear, and socks, designed with familiar, comfortable silhouettes and distinguished by the use of color, pattern, and expressive surface design.
In the context of Jenny Pennywood: essentials intended to be worn often and lived in fully, replacing neutral or blank staples with pieces that carry warmth, personality, and visual language while remaining casual, soft, and practical.
We're also making everything more inclusive—starting with unisex t-shirts in the next collection!
Our Beliefs:
There's a piece of writing that's always stuck with me: Claes Oldenburg's 1961 "Ode to Possibilities". It's a manifesto of sorts, a list of beliefs about art, objects, and everyday life that feels as important to me now as it did back then. It gave me permission to think differently about what art could be and where it could live.
We've always had our guiding Mindset, and lately we've been working on a revised manifesto—one that includes our full story, everywhere we've been, our ethos, and how it all connects to our new direction: patterned basics.
Leave a comment