Tuesday 13 August 2013

Compelled by Beauty: Jacquie Green

Jacquie finds fascination in life and is compelled by the beauty that exists around her in everyone and everything. Born and raised in Toronto, Jacquie graduated from the University of Waterloo with a degree in History and Ontario Institute of Studies in Education with an M.Ed. in Curriculum Design. She later started teaching gifted children; a perfect fit for someone like her, obviously gifted herself. Up till then, her artwork consisted of weaving patterns and producing textile pieces. In her pursuit to better understand various existing learning styles, she gave up full-time teaching and went to the Ontario College of Art and Design to earn a diploma in printmaking. 



Card for Finca Project



I was not pulled to visual art in school, but after I graduated I had a floor loom and made several tapestries on commission — with no formal art training. Then at thirty-five years of age, I decided to learn to draw.


Frankie's Farm

Jacquie’s process of producing work is beautifully simple. To us looking is habitual, we miss out on what Jacquie’s artistic insight latches onto. Her enchantment with capturing life from a live landscape or subject now also includes her fascination with painting from a picture. When she looks at a photographed image, her mind is able to dissect the elements with such precision that what she eventually reproduces appears to be a closer-to-life representation as compared to the image that was used to create the work of art. 



Card for Finca Project


During her creative process, Jacquie pushes herself to understand the particularities of the subject. She studies it in tremendous detail; she wants to take it beyond what she sees in the picture. Playing with the elements to recreate what her mind envisions the image to be. She explains it best in her own words:

I love playing with colour, layering, masking, glazing, seeing how I can push things. I love to see how the mind plays tricks on the eye. You think a sky is intensely blue, but when you go to paint it, you have to grey the colour down. You think something is closer, or higher, or lighter than it really is. Even after looking carefully there are surprises everywhere.


Card for Finca Project



One look at her collection of work and one can see that there is a heavy influence of culture in her life. Jacquie is not only a skilled artist, but she also has the sensitivity and understanding of the way nature and culture divide. She has been studying, very closely, the evolution of culture; what it was and what it has become. She is also keen to learn about phenomena affecting the human race i.e., climate control, urbanization, permanent unemployment, etc. She has a most deliberate explanation for what is driving her to paint subjects she feels are even remotely affected by the development in culture and nature. 



Card for Finca Project


Tenth Avenue Dogs


For thousands of years, we have lived in close contact with domesticated animals related every day to many kinds; we co-opted and transformed them. Now in dense urban areas, many people have no contact with any animals at all. I think this must have a huge effect on everything from our social understanding of what it is to be human to the functioning of our immune systems. But I don't hear anyone talking about this. So right now one of the things I'm interested in painting is interesting, subtle layered paintings of urban animals.


Girl With Red Edge

Jacquie aspires to work with world-renowned artists such as Eric Hougen from Brooklyn, Tai Shan Shierenberg, Jim Dine, Paula Rego, and a few who have left the world, with us marvelling at their creations. Her current collaborations are of a charitable kind. Her website showcases the procedure. A microfinance NGO that gives small loans to women in 22 developing countries worldwide thanks each person who donates $20 through Jacquie’s website. Jacquie thanks the donor by sending one original tiny (2"x 3") watercolour painting on handmade Japanese kozo paper as a thank you card.



Card for Finca Project


Card for Finca Project


That’s a heart of gold with a talent to match it’s radiance! 


Hot Girl

View more of Jacquie's work at http://www.jacquiegreen.com/

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