Jaye Schlesinger’s new show “Points of View” opened at the Washington Street Gallery on October 15. You can still see her work at the WSG until November 22. We spoke with Schlessinger to give readers background information on the show.
This interview was conducted over email between Schlesinger and Current Magazine. Her answers have been edited for grammar, and clarity.
What is new and cool about your show at the WSG?
What viewers might find interesting about my work is that I use Gouache as my main medium. Gouache is an opaque watercolor, somewhat like the tempera paints we all used as kids in school. It is known for its smooth matte finish, unlike oils or acrylics, which have a glossy sheen. It is considered difficult or finicky because it requires a lot of practice in order to understand how to layer it without muddying up the previous layer of paints. I’ve been using it for many years, and it is my favorite medium.
Your show is called “Points of View”. Whose points of view are we talking about, and what are we viewing?
The show is mostly about windows. A window is a literal point of view—a place of observation. We come to creating art or looking at art from an individual point of view. My point of view speaks to the idea of looking closely, paying attention to the commonplace, and trying to see it in a new way. So, I am exploring windows, from the inside looking out, from the outside looking in, reflections in windows, and looking beyond an implied window.
Can you talk us through a particular work at the show that you are proud of?
“Cannonball Express” is a small gouache painting from my series of what I refer to as ‘truck butts”—the backsides of trucks as seen from driving on the highway. I was attracted to this subject because normally it is seen as an obstacle, something you would like to get around and passed as quickly as possible. Once I discovered a way to photograph these trucks while driving—by simply resting a small camera on the steering wheel at the appropriate moment—I was able to pay attention to the exquisite detail and find excitement in the reflections and patterns and to capture a moment in time where a speeding vehicle is frozen in the context of a landscape.
When painting this piece, with gouache on watercolor paper, I pushed the limit of the medium and challenged myself to use a high degree of realism in order to depict the subject. I used several photographs choosing elements from each that would work together to create a cohesive composition. I found the painstaking and slow process of painting to be meditative, and it allowed me to reconsider what we find beautiful and remarkable.
How long did it take to finish each piece, on average, and how did you go about selecting the subject matter?
There is a wide range of hours needed to create each piece in this show. The three truck paintings were the most labor intensive. Including the preliminary sketching the total time, per piece, was approximately 40 to 50 hours. In some of my more recent pieces I am trying to simplify and suggest the details, rather than realistically depicting them. These took somewhere between 10 and 20 hours.
I selected the specific subject matter in this exhibit to provide the viewer with a variety of approaches to the idea of windows. I take walks, observe the world, and revisit my archives of photographs, until I find a particular view or object that excites me and has the potential to work as a composition with balance and rhythm and structure, and also has a sense of mystery or can evoke a particular emotion.
Let’s presume that at least a handful of readers of this interview are going to be on the fence about whether they’re going to see your work or not. What’s your elevator pitch to nudge them into deciding to head down to the WSG?
If you like large, bright, flashy or shiny paintings, this exhibit might not be for you. But if you like quiet paintings that exude a love of subtlety and a meticulous painting technique come to WSG for a breath of fresh air.
What is it about the WSG that makes it a gallery that you like to work with?
I appreciate being a part of a community of artists with different sensibilities, and styles. I like the conversations with both artists and non-artists who visit the gallery and share their observations. Because the gallery works with a framework of 6-week cycles of new work, it gives me a little push to keep creating new work.
How can people keep in touch with you and your art once the show ends?
People can check out my website – www.jayeschlesinger.com
And they can follow me on Instagram – www.instagram.com/jayeschlesinger
And work can be purchased directly on the WSG Shop Page – https://www.wsg-art.com/jaye-schlesinger
What else would you like to add, or what other questions should have been asked?
Please support local artists in any way you can. Come to our art exhibits, engage with the work, and, if possible, purchase original art for your home.
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Ann Arbor’s Washington Street Gallery is located in the middle of a handsome row of three story brick storefronts at 111 East Ann Street. Until December they will be open from 10am to 5pm on Wednesdays, noon to 5pm on Thursdays, noon to 7pm on Fridays, 10am to 5pm on Saturday, and noon to 5pm on Sunday. They are closed Mondays and Tuesdays. You can also follow the gallery through their Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Drew Saunders is a freelance business and environmental journalist who grew up just outside of Ann Arbor. He covers local business developments, embraces his foodie side with reviews restaurants, obsesses over Michigan's environmental state, loves movies, and feels spoiled by the music he gets to review for Ann Arbor!
