Jacqueline Chanda

Open Studio Tour

I am a representational oil painter. I focus predominantly on figurative, genre and plein air paintings. My figurative work can be labeled portraits because they depict a single person. My genre paintings depict aspects of everyday life and portray ordinary people engaged in common activities like walking on the street, sitting in a park or in a cafe. My landscapes are from painting outdoors and so represent places I have visited. My figurative work may be done from life or from a photograph. If from life it is generally done alla prima or wet on wet. If done from a photograph, my approach is more indirect. I start with a rather detailed drawing, then do an underpainting followed by layers of paint applied loosely, scumbling and sometimes glazing. The genre paintings are done in the same way as the figurative work created from photographs. However, I often use either one or several photographs merged together. Inspiration for these paintings come from watching people during my travels and personal experiences. Some of these paintings may represent a specific scene or place or come from my imagination. Landscapes are done alla prima with final touches done in the studio.