JEANNE VADEBONCOEUR | ABOUT 

Our inventory fluctuates – please contact the gallery for current works.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I take simple everyday objects that are often overlooked – or at least un-remarked upon – and render them as though they are precious icons. Often times presenting the viewer with the suggestion that they are more important than we would initially give credit for.

Familiarity breeds contempt –perhaps not contempt in this case, but it is all too easy to become numb and desensitized to the commonplace and ordinary. My chosen objects are taken out of their day-to-day context and isolated on a stark background with dramatic lighting that permits the item to be viewed with a fresh perspective; Ultimately appreciated in a way that they never have before. I often find great personality in inanimate objects, beauty in broken or damaged things, or complex of relationships between the most mundane items.

Despite these hidden depths the work is never meant to be too serious. I try to imbue the paintings with a sense of humor and whimsy to contrast my own efforts of over dramatization.

I am often asked how I choose my subjects. Most of the objects I select are small; usually they can fit in the palm of my hand. I find that the spectrum of my focus takes on a different quality when I have to get in so close to the selected item. Even at a close range I am still able to see the object in its entirety, unlike with a larger specimen, where to see the detail I often looses sight of the overall image. There is something self indulgent and satisfying about allowing my self to give all my attention to a single solitary item. I also choose items based on surface. There are certain surfaces that I love to recreate: the flat powder on a donut, the colorful translucency of gummy bears, and the finely textured finish of eggshell. Lastly, and most simply, I pick items that I like.