My current representational work focuses on vivid landscapes of places close to home in Southern California while my abstract works are inspired by places and ideas that have moved me from within. Growing up on the Central California coast instilled in me a compelling need to record the beauty of the landscape. The cycles observed in nature are also true cycles observed in life. I am attempting to convey the beauty and lastingness of the landscape as an important part of California contemporary painting. My abstract work focuses on capturing the essence of a place, feeling or an idea that comes from deep within me. I am particularly interested in how these feelings come through me onto the canvas and then evoke a feeling within the viewer. I always start a representational painting by studying its subject matter. I am fascinated by finding perfection in imperfect things. Oil paint is my medium of choice due to it’s richness in color saturation, and the ability it has to provide lustrous hues. When painting representational works, I generally paint in the Alla Prima style which in Italian means “at the first”. This is a style of painting where the painting is completed in one sitting. The idea is to capture the essence of the subject in a bold and intuitive way. I find this style of painting very liberating. I am always trying to express my emotional response to the subject when painting in this way. The materials I use are gallery wrapped style stretched canvas and oil paint that is rich in pigment:oil ratio. I use the color generously, allowing the brush strokes to enhance the texture of my paintings. I strive to maintain the organic quality of these brush strokes as they are intriguing to me in that they are not overworked, they are natural in essence. I paint because I enjoy the process. I am interested in the way a painting evokes feeling in the painter and then in the viewer. My goal is to continue painting and to reach as many people as possible with my rich and vibrant images of places, people, and ideas that have touched my life. |
Jessica Fairley Contemporary Fine Art __________________________________________________________ Artist Statement |
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