jacqueline coates

New Paintings

Earlier this year I took two months to travel through Europe. Two weeks of this was leading a tour group to an itinerary of my choosing, taking in the best gardens and art museums of London, Paris, Florence and Rome. It was extremely inspiring, though I didn’t get a chance to bring out the oil paints. Afterwards, I met up with my children and travelled to Umbria with easel and paints. We stayed for a few weeks before travelling to The Loire Valley for another week as well as two weeks with my sister Liz in Evian Les Bains in the Haute Savoie region of France. During this time with my family I was able to fulfil a long held dream; to have the freedom and time to explore painting in Europe. I enjoyed new options available in subject matter; from the last evening light over the Umbrian hills by Lake Trasimeno to a potager garden near Le Blanc in France, my son under my sister’s cherry tree and the peony roses from her garden. The only rule was, the paintings had to be from life, painted then and there.

Painting on holiday brings it’s own restrictions. There is only so much art gear you can cram in the car along with everyone else’s baggage. Painting in oils, the paintings have to dry before you leave for the next destination or arranged artfully on top of everything else. Then there is getting them home without being over the baggage limit.

The restrictions and challenges imposed by travel created some exciting new changes for me with my work. I was working directly from life, stealing time from the family in some ways, and working with available natural light. Therefore the paintings were created with a special kind of immediacy. I enjoyed working with spatula knives as well as brushes to create the paintings so an impasto technique has evolved. The sizes of the canvases though of a normal size to most people are much smaller than I would usually work with enabling me to concentrate a lot of detail and paint into a smaller area resulting in enjoying the sensuality of the paint itself as much as the subject matter.

Returning to my studio in Kapunda, I couldn’t help myself from continuing on this exciting path. Everyday is fresh for me in the studio, as it was on the trip, as I am working with natural light, and exploring new subject matter with the bouquets and other luscious subjects.

What remains constant for me is a love of colour, flowers, sensuality and the realm of the feminine, as well as beautiful and inspiring places and landscapes. I hope you enjoy coming on this painting journey with me.

- Jacqueline Coates

Selected Biography

Solo Exhibitions

La vie en Rose, Artistic Licence Gallery, September 2006
Annabel Wallace Gallery, Young NSW, November 2005
“Florescence” Artistic License Gallery, North Adelaide, Jun 2005
“Chiaroscuro” The Washhouse Gallery, Sydney, December 2004
“Perfume” The Moree Gallery, NSW 2004
“Forgotten World” Paintings, Viva The Flower Store, Angaston 2004
“Ripe” Viva The Flower Store, Angaston, May 2003
“Desideratum” Rushcutters Bay Gallery, Sydney, March 2003
Recent Paintings The Adelaide Rose Festival, October 2002
“Southern Influences” 1+2 Artist Studios Gallery, Sydney, August 2002
“Petal Overtones” Craneford Wines, Truro, S.A. December 2001
1+2 Artist Studios Gallery, Sydney, November 2000
“Under My Skin” Watch This Space, Alice Springs, September 1997
“Arteries” Side on Studio, Sydney, November 1996

Selected Group Exhibitions

Country, Scarlatti’s Gallery, Clare Valley, 2006
Portia Geach Portrait Exhibition, SH Ervin Gallery, Sydney, October 2005
Intuition,Selected Female Regional Artists, Kapunda Regional Gallery,S.A. Oct05
Read Me, The Blue Bush Gallery, Riverton, S.A. November 2004
Fleurieu Biennale Art Prize, S.A. October / November 2004
Elliston Sculpture Festival Whistling in the Winds Featured Guest Artist,March 04
Backyards & Blooms, Jacqueline Coates and Moona Nookenba Artistic License, Adelaide November 2003
The Art of Flower, Burra Regional Art Gallery, South Australia, 1st Prize

Botanica Exhibition, Kapunda Regional Art Gallery, S.A. November 2002
The Festival of the Winds Sculpture Exhibition, Elliston, S.A. February 2002
Portia Geach Women’s Portrait Prize, Sydney 1997

Publications

Inside Out Magazine (10 page feature, August 03), SMH, Barossa Herald, The Leader, Home Beautiful, House and Garden, Quantas Magazine, Your Garden, The Advertiser, Bourke’s Backyard Magazine, Australian Good Taste, Australian Country Style (6 page feature, March 05), Adelaide Matters, Independent Weekly, New Zealand Home and Garden (double page spread September 05).

Other Activities

Conducting workshops in New Zealand and Australia, Brisbane, Sydney, Young NSW, South Australia 2005 – 2007 Designed Arts and Gardens Itinerary and led subsequent tour as group leader to London, Paris, Florence and Rome 2007.

Jacqueline's website: www.jacquelinecoates.com