Category / Work in Progress

August Surprise

Coming soon in November, is a group show I will take part in at Galerie des Beaux-Arts des Amériques, in Montreal.

There is a theme for this show, it is called The Gift. Each of the participating artist may interpret this idea as they want, on an identical 20 x 20 inches wood panel.

I have chosen to represent Light, which to me is one the greatest gifts of life.

Without sunlight, there would be no life on this earth. In winter, the scarcity of light dulls our days, while in summer, it’s abundance makes us feel alive and vibrant. Sunlight is at the very source of my artwork: it gives me the simple yet fundamental pleasure of seeing. I see the variations of color because of the changing light, and I marvel at the intricate ways it plays into forms. It is light that reveals depth and space, and at certain times of the day, just like that, it can bestow an ethereal quality to this material world.

There will be one watercolor on exhibit at the show, but in my process, I always do several. Here is one of them.

Louise Jalbert, August Surprise, 2019, Watercolor on paper, 20 x 20 inches

Back to Painting

Now that the inventory process is more of a routine, I am back to painting with a good focus.

The time away from the studio allowed me to integrate some of the experiments I had done earlier with acrylics: it feels more natural now and my hands know what to do better. The process of assessing my previous work is beneficial in many ways, refreshing my mind and giving me a broader perspective.

Currently, my aim is to paint not as a statement but as a practice: proceed from where I am now, with what I have understood so far and simply go with what comes at this time. I would like to see where that takes me. And with this intention, here is a start.

Louise Jalbert, “Yellow in October”, 2019, Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 36 inches

Taking a Stroll in my Garden

The overhaul of my inventory is progressing well, we have reached about halfway at this point. A tedious task, but already yielding interesting results.

First, a sense of clarity emerges as every piece is registered, and put together with others of the same period or theme. Not only do I know where it is, I also know what I think of it: time is a great appraiser.
Some are discarded, (less than I expected, a nice surprise), a few reframed (while I am at it). And a selected few, retouched. This one was staring me in the eye when I took it off the shelve. I remember when I had put it away in an unresolved state, colors clashing with each other, unable to figure out what to do at the time.

Above is the “after” version and “before” is below. This series was very intuitive and playful, so I wanted to keep that spirit while integrating the forms better into the composition.

Another great benefit is that I am gaining a perspective that spans over four decades. It feels as if I am taking a stroll in my garden, looking at everything that was planted over the years, from the small flowers of spring to the trees with their autumn foliage, in a broad, sweeping vista.

There is much satisfaction to be found in this review, with the process itself nurturing quite a bit of reflexion. And that, who knows, might instigate some very new work.

Louise Jalbert, “Sostenato”, Sortilèges, suite et variation series, 2008-2019, Acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20 inches

Inventory: The Real Thing Has Begun

Every artist has an inventory to manage. Not every piece is sold, and the process of art making involves creating many pieces that may or may not fit into the next body of work, all of which cumulate over the years.
Doing a complete inventory of my art has been on my mind for some years now. A daunting project that I wasn’t sure how to handle. Fortunately, we have a good artist’s association in Montreal, the RAAV, that provides a regular flow of seminars on the many aspect of an artist’s career, from using social media to the intricacies of keeping your archives. After attending two seminars on this topic, I boiled down the information with the help of a librarian friend and defined my own simple but adequate system.

Why would you do a comprehensive inventory? For your own sanity, obviously, as it is much easier to know what you have and where it is. I tend to be organized and have kept a record but there are gray zones and some tidying up to do. It is also an opportunity to review and document what my journey has been so far. And last, but not least, my art is part of my legacy, whether of personal or local cultural relevance remains to be determined, but as such, I care to make it easy to access and manage.

Did I mention daunting? Admittedly it is a long and fastidious process. To be sure the task got done without absorbing too much of studio time, I decided to hire an assistant. After establishing a budget, and again with the help of the art association, I found one with the clerical skills and office experience needed. Louise-Andrée is a fellow artist: she understands my specific needs and provides useful suggestions. Part of our deal is that I teach her how to keep her own inventory, which makes for an affordable and stimulating collaboration.

As a visual artist, I am accustomed to doing a lot of things in solo. But some tasks are better tackled in tandem and it’s more fun too. So far, meeting every Friday since mid-January, we have completed approximately 25% of the task. This may be optimistic, but the main thing is, I see light at the end of the tunnel.

 

Photos: Louise Jalbert, “Inventory in process”, and “Louise-Andrée Lalonde at work” 2019

Flogging a Tired Horse

is what I have been doing with my work lately, once more reminding myself that this is never a good idea. Striving for too long, without allowing much respite, I ended up feeling more like kicking than painting.

Taking a break was the easy (and obvious) answer, but no, I wouldn’t yield to this, because it is very hard to let go of something that you haven’t yet managed to do. It is tough to admit you can’t do it now or perhaps ever (oh yeah?).

And I do like to be engaged in creating, taking one idea into the next, inventing as I go, discovering new possibilities. There is so much I want to do! But when I push too much, I shut those possibilities down, and everything becomes stiff.

Finally, I took a break from the studio and immediately felt better. I even started to get some ideas and did little sketches. So it looks as if there might be a spring after this long and icy winter, what do you know.

This was a good time to refresh my website homepage and add new pictures, thanks to my webmaster, Guillaume Sanfaçon.

Louise Jalbert, “Trees in the courtyard”, 2019, Feltmarker on paper, 8 x 3.5 inches

A New Commission

A young couple of Montreal architects are asking me to do a painting for their downtown apartment bedroom. Based on their appreciation of my latest series, “Le nez dans l’herbe”, they would like a painting that evokes the impression of being in the foliage.

Since the painting is to be hung above their bed, my first idea was to do a horizontal format as in the sketch above, but that might change as I progress in defining what works best for this space.

I really appreciate their trust, even more so as they know I am presently creating a new body of work. This means I am not on top of things right now, and cannot foresee the finished result yet. But that’s how I create : I start with an idea, and/or a vision, and proceed with experimenting, testing, failing, adjusting until I reach a form that expresses the essence of my vision. I must allow time for trial and error which often yields an unexpected but good result.

Whether we are aware of this or not, each of us is continually in the process of creation : it could be a thought, a meal, a work project, a relationship, a career. In every moment of our lives, we can choose what and how we create. I am doing this commission now. What are you creating?

Louise Jalbert, “Jamais la fin d’été”, 2018, Gouache on paper, 14 x 34 inches