Gretchen
Jeens
Oil on Canvas
In a world where social media, texting, and emailing are so often used as forms of communication, it is refreshing to know that it is still possible and pleasurable to gather to share thoughts and opinions. In this painting of a gathering of a small group of friends, I hope to convey the vitality, comfort, and importance of expression through body language and eye contact.
30” x 40”
Gretchen Jeens beautifully renders a moment of conversation amongst four young women. With expressive, gestural brushwork, she captures each woman’s clothing, hair, and expression. The composition is balanced without being symmetrical: the massing of the figures on the left is balanced in the opposite shape of the negative space on the right, which is punctuated and given weight by the black boot. Jeens reserves the detail for the figures but creates interest in the background through a range of close tones and lines that suggest the shape of furniture. The palette is tight: warm golds, peaches and oranges with touches of complimentary blue and moments of black close to each corner.
1st Place