M. Jane French
Painter/Teacher/Activist
Ann Arbor, Michigan/New York, New York
Artist Statement
Most of my painting is figurative and expressionistic.
Preferring the intuitive and experimental process, I rarely plan a painting. I listen to music and let the soundscape dictate the speed and color choices as the image emerges that will direct each work. I paint immediately onto the canvas without drawing first, using my memories, imagination and close observation of the physical world. The visceral experience of mixing and placing color on surfaces often yields the vivid hues, strong lines, and dramatic stylization characteristic of my pieces. I am inspired by my environment and the stories of the people in it. I am interested in faces, flight and the female form; fluidity of time and gender, and the struggles of the disenfranchised. I hope that my work reflects a thematic freedom and that even while tackling the most emotionally difficult topics, expresses the grace of the resilient strengths I observe in others.
Most of my painting is figurative and expressionistic.
Preferring the intuitive and experimental process, I rarely plan a painting. I listen to music and let the soundscape dictate the speed and color choices as the image emerges that will direct each work. I paint immediately onto the canvas without drawing first, using my memories, imagination and close observation of the physical world. The visceral experience of mixing and placing color on surfaces often yields the vivid hues, strong lines, and dramatic stylization characteristic of my pieces. I am inspired by my environment and the stories of the people in it. I am interested in faces, flight and the female form; fluidity of time and gender, and the struggles of the disenfranchised. I hope that my work reflects a thematic freedom and that even while tackling the most emotionally difficult topics, expresses the grace of the resilient strengths I observe in others.
OUI
Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 36. (Complete painting not shown.)
Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 36. (Complete painting not shown.)
Untitled
Acrylic on Wood Four Panel Decorative Screen.
Acrylic on Wood Four Panel Decorative Screen.