Filling a Blank Slate

As a writer, my memories are recalled through strings of carefully constructed sentences, with details flowing in the form of metaphors and descriptions of taste and smell.

As an artist, Jaq sees the world differently. Her thoughts are constructed in images. Her memories are recalled in shape, form, colour and texture.
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To me, each day begins as a blank page; to her, a blank canvas.

One month ago, she took me on as her marketing executive, a position that allows me to be surrounded by beauty and creativity, to write, and to put the degree I earned in my home of New York to good use.

This blog will give an account of my experience working with Jaq and will share her experiences as an established painter in London, a city I have fallen in love with for its history, art, culture and lifestyle.

Just as I have often been inspired by my travels to write, Jaq has been inspired by her own to paint. One of her newest collections is called SOLANO, which is composed of abstract landscapes rich in the vivid colours and defining texture that are the key elements of her unique style.

Red mountain is the largest in this collection measuring 48" x 41". It is currently hanging on the wall in the lower level of Jiq Jaq Art Gallery in Hampstead, awakening the senses of its viewers with beautiful streaks of gold strewn across the deep reds in the foreground and textured paint that imitates the rugged face of the mountain's terrain.

One of the pieces in this collection that has been commented on most often at the gallery is called Mirage. It was inspired by a trip Jaq took to Northern Africa, by the idea of a mirage in the desert and the stirring of dust that blurs the landscape.

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Forest goes back to the beginning of this post, to different ways of seeing the world. A forest to one person may not be the same as a forest to another person just as an ocean may not appear to be the same for everyone standing on the same shore. This painting illustrates the unique perspective of an artist whose forest is characterised by colours blending and colliding amongst the wavering lines of abstract tree trunks and branches.

To see the rest of the SOLANO collection, click here and watch this blog space for some insight on the life of a successful painter and those who observe her.