4

Jacquie Green (Studio 253) is learning to draw. Seeing

this artists work, youd think she already knows everything
there is to know about drawing, but Jacquie tells us she
works on it all the time. Shes compelled to continuously
rene her skills because, in her words the ability to draw
uently, sensitively, and intelligently underlies the work I
nd most compelling. In her spacious, light-lled studio
on the second oor, Jacquie not only draws, but prints,
paints, and collages intriguing gurative works that
speak to her love affair with the human form.
Jacquie didnt start her education wanting to become
an artist. She studied History and French before doing
a degree in education and a Masters in Curriculum
Development. She liked teaching, but made the move
to the Ontario College of Art and Design University
(OCADU) where she graduated in printmaking. It was
while she was learning the technical skills of etching
and woodcut that it became apparent to her she
needed to learn to draw.
In order to do this, Jacquie had to shift perspective and see
image-making in a completely new way that has come to
dene her practice. I notice interesting shapes, colours
(both subtle and strident), unusual edges, graceful lines,
people or postures that I nd powerful or funny, or those in
the surprising zone where ugliness and beauty overlap.
Nothing is more moving or fascinating to me than the power
of the human form. A person or photo of someone will stick
in my mind and if theyre there long enough, I know theres
something worth investigating. Jacquies background in
education also led her to develop a series of ten lessons in
beginner drawing that she teaches in her studio.
Stepping into Jacquies studio today, youd see a few
pieces from a mixed media series shes continuing of
people in urban settings dog walkers and their packs are
a favourite subject that captured the artists eye. Alongside
these is a strip of small canvases of male gures studding
the wall. They are studies in oil paint that give Jacquie a
sense of which compositions to consider scaling up to
larger canvases. Shes working on just the right soft
colours and appealing glazes to make seductive images
that are alluring despite being cropped in uncomfortable
and disconcerting ways (you can see an unnished piece
from this series behind Jacquie in the photo above).

Since I nd people in the world endlessly fascinating,
most of my work could be defined as studying the
figure. I like to learn about the form removed from
context, and to look at its internal relationships. I want to
understand the structure of shape; how parts relate to
wholes, how the interior tensions are resolving or not. I
create a generalized volume or space and study specics
of the human form within that space. If theres a narrative
to be drawn, I leave that to the viewer.
Jacquie will be part of our Scotiabank Nuit Blanche
independent program The Shape and Form of the
Future on October 4. Shes still working out the details,
but her project promises to be engaging and interactive.
For those of you who participated in Jacquies Collage
Shop at last years event, the nished pieces will also
be on display, so you can come and nd yourself in the
tiny collages.
www.jacquiegreen.com
JACQUIE GREEN: DRAWING LESSONS Studio 253
tenant prole
Left: Artist Jacquie Green in her studio
Above: Tenth Avenue Walkers, 2013