Life is Art

It is difficult to tell you who I am since I really don’t know who I am. Why is it so hard to know who we are? So for the formalities...my name is Jackie Janisse and I am a professional award-winning painter, artist, wife, mother, friend, advocate, encourager, hard-worker, scaredy-cat. I live in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario where the winter is harsh since I live blocks away from Lake Superior and the summer is glorious. The area is known for the “Group of Seven” artists...yes it’s that spectacular it needs to be painted. But alas, I am an artist who paints in abstraction. A bit of an anomaly here in the Sault but I have been accepted by my peers since they are such lovely people. They appreciate my artistic diversity and I love them for it.

Back to abstraction! I wish I could see the artistry in the future because our present world is so diverse for all types of art right now. How wonderful to see abstraction, realism, figurative, landscape, still-life, sculpting, poetry, writing,music, etc. and such freedom we have. Do you have freedom to create? Do you have freedom? Are you free. I think this is why I work in abstraction. I gives freedom for the viewer and the artist. A way of self expression but the viewer can participate in that expression too. We as humanity can take in a painting visually and express ourselves. We are all connected yet individuals. What do I want my art to say? We as humanity share life and my tragedy can be someone else’s tragedy...my joy can be someone else’s joy. We are all connected through life and we all experience life. This inspires me to work and create. I want people to see our connection. No room for narcissism.

To know a bit about my process I like to start from nothing. A few pieces of wood cut to create a cradled hardboard panel, primed and plaster applied for texture, direction and flow. Then an underpainting is applied to unveil the flow and composition. The curtain is opened and and now I can see more clearly. Shadow and light direction is established and then the composition is pulled together with detail. My background is in Machine Technology so my drawing skills are based on machine tool hand drafting and architectural hand drafting. Painting seems to be a mathematical experience for me and balance and harmony like an algebraic equation.

My grandfather was an artist. I remember when I was a child, I would stare at those paintings and see his personality. He died before I was born...when my father was 11. I never met my grandfather but he became tangible to me. I could see the gentleness of him through his brushstrokes. He was there right in the room through those paintings. Have you seen the paintings I created? Can you see who I am? Can you see my joy and sorrow or loss? I want you to see yourself in the paintings I created. It makes us all immortal in a way.