For This Entrepreneur, Velvet Elvis Paintings Were Just the Start A Portland painter finds her niche with customized paintings on the 1970s' favorite fuzzy fabric.
By Michelle Juergen •
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Entrepreneur: Jennifer Kenworth, aka Juanita, the velvet painter.
"AHA" Moment: In 1999, when Kenworth did a ceramics residency at a pottery studio in Gerlach, Nev., a local had a very specific request: a painting of Elvis on the cross--on velvet. Though resources were scarce in the tiny desert town, Kenworth was up for the challenge. Working from an image of Elvis in a library book, she used acrylic paint and a box of velvet scraps to create a painting she sold for $50 and a bottle of tequila.
What Possessed Her: After her residency, Kenworth moved back to Portland, Ore., and continued to paint Elvis on velvet. But she soon got bored with the King, and opted to paint other random ideas--beer cans, Star Trek characters, Mr. T. After years of showing in art shows and fairs, last year she got consistent requests for custom velvet paintings, so she made those her focus.
Why? "Velvet paintings make people smile," Kenworth says. "They conjure up memories and stories." She began painting at age 5, but moved her focus to sculpture in art school and didn't paint for about 13 years--until the Elvis request. Kenworth discovered a renewed love for painting, and found velvet an intriguing medium to work with.
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