Painting in a New Light by Jeanne Illenye

Painting in a New Light


Reflection and Contemplation:  CLASSICAL MEETS CONTEMPORARY

Reflecting upon the past year with my goal "2009 A Year of Flowers" which I was unable to achieve due to a pleasantly consistent flurry of commissions, I have set my sites not only on that objective yet again, but with the added dimension of introducing a fresh, clean, crisp appearance to my paintings, thus hopefully truly rising to a competitive level with fellow contemporary realist masters.

My classical training (predominantly self taught via intense study of the Dutch masters) has tremendously influenced my work. However, I have for several years now since selling online, attempted to incorporate a more contemporary flair to my paintings such as introducing subjects other than fruit and flowers as well as cropping images to generate visual tension. It has been an enlightening experience, yet I still retained strong ties to my classical roots. Now I feel the time has come to more fully commit to this new direction and gracefully move into a new chapter.

Look for a brightness in my work that may have been lacking previously, as well as increasingly stark compositions which serve to intensify the effect of realism in my subjects. The dense, voluptuous, overcrowded canvases of my past will be edited to slimmer, more punctuated compositions in lighter settings with greater utilization of the "blank" space for support of a subject as opposed to contributing and participating in the abstract quality and visual movement of my classical paintings. Almost an oxymoron, the classical paintings have a more abstract quality composed of deliberately calculated relationships than the simple contemporary pieces.

Also look for a resurgence toward that unsatisfied goal of 2009, A Year of Flowers but with a new, more focused attention toward the delicacy of the Earth in a series "Treading Softly" for beneath our feet lies a complex world so often overlooked. Through my work I will attempt to bring emphasis to these delights of Nature so that we may learn to appreciate and protect her gifts. Join me on my journey . . . painting in a new light.

JEANNE ILLENYE