Artist Spotlight: Jada Volk

For Jada Volk, art has been a pivotal part of her upbringing.

“My mom, Nicole Volk, is really creative, so I always had the ability to make art,” she said.

Volk offers face painting for younger kids and comes up with thematic designs before each event. Some designs, like the unicorn, are always popular.

Over the years, she’s dabbled in many different mediums. About four years ago, she began making henna art, and it has since become more than just a hobby.

“I was with my mom when she was a vendor at the Celtic Faire and there was a lady that did tarot card readings and henna,” Volk said. “I loomed over her, and at the end of the event she handed me a henna cone and told me to practice.”

Volk quickly went through that first henna cone. The process of creating henna art turned out to be so fun that she decided to make it a business. After about six months of practice using family, friends, and herself as canvases, Volk officially created Jada’s Henna Art.

“My first event was at the Moose Lodge,” she said. “It helped me get a feel for my booth. It was a lot of fun, so I kept doing it.”

Volk can take special requests for facepaint. Thomas McQuillen asked for a fox design.

To date, Volk has attended around 25 events in Aberdeen and the surrounding area, including this year’s Arts in the Park and National Night Out. In addition to henna art, Volk offers face painting as well, since it’s a shorter process that’s easier for younger children to sit still for. Volk also is available for private events like birthday parties.

When Volk first started making henna art, she used stencils as a way to practice. She said that it was great practice and helped her become more confident with freehand work. Now, Volk can complete most freehand designs in about 15 minutes, depending on the size.

Volk continues to offer stencils, but she can also make almost any design that someone might request. Many of her favorite subjects are natural things, like mushrooms and the sun and moon.

“I can mash together inspiration photos to make something really cool and clean,” she said.

Hazel McQuillen waits patiently as Volk adds the finishing touches to her unicorn design.

She also makes custom face painting sheets depending on which event she attends. At National Night Out, she offered designs featuring police and firefighter hats and a nurse’s stethoscope along with classics like Spiderman and unicorn horns.

As a henna artist, Volk informs each customer on proper henna tattoo care. Henna tattoos are temporary and will usually last one or two weeks. The longevity of each tattoo depends on a few different factors. Volk said that tattoos on hands won’t last as long, since frequent washing will fade them faster. She also has some colored henna that doesn’t last long as the traditional, dark brown henna. The most important factor, though, is how long each person allows their henna to dry before rubbing the excess off.

“Keep the henna on for as long as you can,” Volk said. “At shows, I tell people to leave it on until they go to sleep.”

The longer the henna sits, the darker the design becomes. At the very least, henna should dry for about 40 minutes.

Having her own business has helped her figure out future career plans. Volk said that eventually, she’d like to become a tattoo artist.

“I decided I wanted to tattoo when I was learning henna, since it was so much fun,” she said. “I also thought about hearing why people want to get their tattoos and their stories. Kind of like hair stylists, since they get all the tea.”

Working with her mother has also been a unique experience. They often attend the same events, and Nicole has helped Jada book gigs as her business grew.

“Before my business, I just tagged along with my mom to her shows,” Volk said. “I’d help her set up and tear down. Now that we work together, I get to do my own thing.” //

More information about Jada’s Henna Art can be found on her Facebook page or website, jadas-henna-art.webador.com.