November: Jackie Madsen and Jeff Schaller
Jackie Madsen:
Give a brief description of your upcoming show. And what might have inspired it.
My work like my life is always evolving. I love the immediacy of charcoal on paper, and I have tried to create that spontaneous element inherent in my drawings in these new paintings. Lines like threads linking one element to another, creating a story, suggesting a journey are evident in each piece. Tentative traces and bold marks combine to form the image.
The figures, be it a simple female form or a young dancer, are the subjects used in these “painted drawings”. The fish have become a metaphor, a memory of that carnival fish,won by my first grandson, against all odds,living in a bowl on my kitchen counter for 8 years.
How have you expanded existing themes/ideas for which you are best known/or if this body of work is a great deviation from your norm, what inspired this new approach?
Animals( including dogs,fish,and birds) have always been a source of inspiration in my work and of course they are included, but this past year both in life drawing classes and studio studies I have focused on the female form. The figure is not a particular person or portrait, she is the only the canvas for artistic expression.
Stylistically and/or technically, what do you hope collectors notice in your new work?
I have a deep interest in art history and I love to get up close to the works and savor the brush strokes, the searching lines, the history of the piece, the “unfinished” areas. The process of artistic production is my focus, and I hope my work shows this process.
Jeff Schaller:
Give a brief description of your upcoming show. And what might have inspired it.
I’m really excited about this show because I have had it in my head and heart for about a year. Over the past few years I felt a little lost in trying to find my groove, my old self; retro, happy, and nostalgic. After speaking with Lee about the show and simultaneously having self doubt about my medium, this show became an excuse to explore and get back to doing what I loved. I found a process a “style” that I’ve been trying achieve in acrylic paint and desperately wanted to achieve that same look in encaustic. Due to technical and bonding issues with encaustic, I couldn’t achieve that, then it happened… I figured it out. You, the viewer, get to see the success of that… I destroyed the struggles. So rest assured this is the good stuff, highlighting the good times.
How have you expanded existing themes/ideas for which you are best known/or if this body of work is a great deviation from your norm, what inspired this new approach?
It is actually quiet the opposite. I went back to the images that I loved and which I started out with. My work was never serious; it always had a whimsical approach. With everything in the world going on today, who needs more things to think about. I stopped trying to comment on what was going on around me and reflected on the past, in a way that is a comment of itself. The show also gave me an opportunity to explore an old medium and reiterate that my paintings are and aren’t about the medium but about the subject.
Stylistically and/or technically, what do you hope collectors notice in your new work?
I hope they smile, laugh, and reminisce about the imagery, appreciate the technique of the various mediums, contemplate the non-linear juxtaposition of imagery, and become enthusiastic and want to take it home and live with it. Like I’ve said, I’ve been thinking about it for a year so I’m now done with it and it can find a better home to hang wi.
Add any additional info that might interest the viewer.
The work is fun and doesn’t necessarily have to match your sofa. Give the painting a look, give it as much time as it takes to read and delete 5 emails, and maybe you’ll find a connection.