BARTON ART GALLERIESSponsored by the Barton Friends of Visual Arts

JENNIFER O’CONNELLFamiliar Places

SponSored by the barton FriendS oF ViSual artS

deSigned by gérard lange

BARTON ART GALLERIESbox 5000, WilSon, nC 27893252.399.6477

Familiar Places

Jennifer O’Connell’s work presents a tranquil harmony in the solidarity of these vibrant domestic interiors. The scenes are of rooms in her colonial home in Hadley, Massachusetts, but rather than depicting these intimate spaces in natural color, the rooms and furnishings are highly saturated – a rich visual symphony where colors are wrought with emotion. Through the color saturation one begins to ponder the emotional state of the artist during the time each painting was executed. This contemplation is reinforced by the sense and evidence of habitation, without actually seeing any people. Despite the vacancy, there is the feeling that the room has been frozen in the midst of action, and the occupants have simply vanished from view. There is a sense of life

and activity, but the scene appears to be a moment in which the artist’s mind may have begun to wander. As rooms are presented repeatedly, one can witness changes in decorating and, therein, the passage of time becomes apparent. Completed over the span of weeks, the compositions reflect natural changes occurring daily. Objects in the paintings appear to have been touched and moved, yet the person responsible is absent. In her working and reworking of the scene, O’Connell’s rooms cease to be mere domestic genre and start to live and breathe of their own accord. In theses paintings, she transforms the images of her unoccupied private spaces into a self-portrait, where not only her life but the act of living is placed on display.

Living Room Spector30” x 50”

Artist Statement

Obscure, private visions that alienate the mind in daylight, keep a potent mooring within me. Inspired by what the mind conjures, perception is influenced by contemplation. Shadows, objects, and shapes are gateways to memories. Imaginings mingle with perceptions. In dreaming before rooms, I come in contact with transient psychological aspects. Literally and symbolically, the interior space is the self.

While nudging perception toward visual metaphor, I seek visual surprise. Visual and conceptual depth intersect through a back and forth process of direct observation and separation; reality is the support for suggestion. Under changing conditions, paintings are built up piece by piece, seeking compositional and conceptual resonance. Additively and subtractively, alternate descriptions are explored through the medium. Manifestations of human presences emerge; fragments of the many moments which build a painting. Through visual search and variety in application, the objects are surpassed as symbols and temporal evidence remains.

Artist Statement

Obscure, private visions that alienate the mind in daylight, keep a potent mooring within me. Inspired by what the mind conjures, perception is influenced by contemplation. Shadows, objects, and shapes are gateways to memories. Imaginings mingle with perceptions. In dreaming before rooms, I come in contact with transient psychological aspects. Literally and symbolically, the interior space is the self.

While nudging perception toward visual metaphor, I seek visual surprise. Visual and conceptual depth intersect through a back and forth process of direct observation and separation; reality is the support for suggestion. Under changing conditions, paintings are built up piece by piece, seeking compositional and conceptual resonance. Additively and subtractively, alternate descriptions are explored through the medium. Manifestations of human presences emerge; fragments of the many moments which build a painting. Through visual search and variety in application, the objects are surpassed as symbols and temporal evidence remains.

These scenes are inspired by what

the mind conjures, perception is influenced by

contemplation.

Cast of Characters24” x 36”

Flannel Shirt30” x 24”

Dresser Procession24” x 48”

Homage30” x 36”

Homage30” x 36”

Wintergreen Evening24” x 24”

Tulips for Charlotte24” x 28”

A New England Tale24” x 36”

Tulips for Charlotte24” x 28”

Glowing Objects28” x 28”

Lamp Ensemble28” x 36”

Glowing Objects28” x 28”

Lamp Ensemble28” x 36”

Night Kitchen24” x 46”

Ripening Light28” x 42”

Distant Springtime30” x 24”

Out There24” x 40”

Aging Interior40” x 30”

The Search24” x 30”

The Search24” x 30”

Warm Green Breeze24” x 40”

Bedside Attendant18” x 24”

Bittersweet30” x 30”

Bedside Attendant18” x 24”

Bittersweet30” x 30”

Sounds in the Eaves20” x 24”

Jennifer O’Connell

Jennifer O’Connell earned an MFA degree in painting and drawing from the University of New Hampshire and a BFA from SUNY Plattsburgh. Additionally, she studied fine art at the University College Chester in England on a Giltz Family Travel Award. After receiving her MFA, she was invited to show in the “Young Talent” exhibition in Washington Depot, CT. Since then, she has been the recipient of numerous awards including an Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Fellowship, a Vermont Studio Center Artist Residency Grant and Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Grant through the Northampton Arts Council. She has led public lectures and participated in panel discussions around the Northeast. Her exhibition record includes national and international shows at Fraser Gallery in Washington, DC and the Bowery Gallery in New York. In 2008, she was selected by juror Cynthia Reeves for the New England / New Talent Exhibition at the Fitchburg Art Museum in Fitchburg, MA. Galleries that represent her work include Adam Cave Fine Art in Raleigh, NC, Left Bank Gallery in Wellfleet, MA and Oxbow Gallery in Northampton, MA.

Sounds in the Eaves20” x 24”

Director of exhibitions

Gérrd Lange

Gallery assistant

Bonnie LoSchiavo

Gallery interns

Bobby BuffaloeMichelle PerezBen Yansom

staff

Hanna CannonAlyssa DamrothBriana FrazierCherise SantorielloJasmine Tinsley

Jennifer O’ConnellFamiliar Places

Virginia Thompson Graves Gallery

Exhibition DatesAugust 24 – September 18

Opening ReceptionAugust 30, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

BARTON ART GALLERIESbox 5000, WilSon, nC 27893

252.399.6477

The Barton Art Galleries are located in the Case Art Building, near the intersection of Whitehead Avenue and Gold Street, on the

campus of Barton College.