Jalena Hay's process is immediate, embodied, and unrepeatable: each piece emerges from a single moment of presence, a real-time response to memory, sensation, and inner atmosphere. Working with Pen, Ink, Gouache, Pastel, and Colored Pencil, she composes intricate, layered works that vibrate between control and chaos, gesture and stillness.

Her work lives in the in-between—between abstraction and representation, between what is seen and what is deeply felt. Every mark is a pulse of presence. Nothing is pre-planned. The result is a body of work that invites contemplation, not just consumption: drawings that shift the tone of a space, inviting quiet, anchoring perception, and rewarding sustained attention.

Color and line are not used merely for form—but as a felt language, a way of resonating with the nervous system. Rather than explain, her compositions resonate—vibrating with quiet energy and inviting repeated, deeper encounters.

Born and raised in Southern California, Jalena moved to New York to study Drawing and Printmaking at Pratt Institute, where she studied under artists Thomas Bosket and Jennifer Melby. Her passion for printmaking took her to Amsterdam, where she immersed herself in lithography, expanding her language of texture, rhythm, and form.

Now based in Brooklyn, Jalena’s practice continues to evolve as she explores the porous boundary between the personal and the universal. Her work has been exhibited in galleries across New York—including Warnes Contemporary, Long Island City Artists, and ENGN—and has been featured in publications such as Suboart Magazine and Canvas Rebel. She is a 2025 Vermont Studio Center artist-in-residence.