About Mosaic Artist Jacqueline Chesley and The Paint Place NJ
"I started as a plein-air painter, but after many years of being at the mercy of wind and weather, I moved indoors with both my pastels and subject matter.
This was my Victorian Period and Interiors of Cape May, New Jersey were my subjects.
After completing over a hundred pastels of elegant interiors, the charms of overstuffed furniture and lace curtains began to wane. About the same time I had the good fortune to visit Paris and made the pilgrimage to Giverny, the home of the French impressionist Claude Monet.
Enchanted by the house and gardens I returned to the studio to begin a series of portraits of the house and the glorious landscape the artist created.
Working in both large and small format the Giverny series was most successful and proved to be my most popular work to date.
Large painting require enormous amounts of energy and, after some time, I decided rather than being only a stand up artist, it might be nice to sit down for a while. That is how my career as a mosaic artist developed. Struggling on my own, it was not long before I realized there are tricks of the trade I could learn.
Going straight to the source of mosaic art, I discovered a workshop in Ravenna, ITALY, home of the mosaic artists for centuries.
The workshop solved my technical concerns and the work became more ambitious. Now both the making of mosaics and plein-air painting share equal importance in my life.
The store grew from my search for studio space. Over the course of my career, studios have had about a five year life span. It was my last quest for space that netted the ideal location, a store front large enough for both studio and gallery.
Painting and the knowledge of color and design that grew from it influences every mosaic piece I create.
Both painting and life as a mosaic artist share equal importance at my studio in Asbury Park New Jersey. Now, the store The Paint Place NJ in Asbury Park New Jersey has expanded to the Internet and to the wide audience it provides.
It is to this audience I show my work with both pleasure and pride."
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