Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacqueline Chanda.
Hi Jacqueline, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
As a child I was always drawing, creating art using paint by numbers kit, and coloring. When I was seven I decided to draw a portrait of my mother. It actually looked like her. I received a lot of praise for that drawing and that is what peaked my interest in art and my desire to become an artist.
Like many want-a- be artists, I was encouraged to pursue something that would be more lucrative than making art. So I studied painting and drawing with an emphasis in education thinking I would be an art teacher.
In the process of pursuing graduate degrees, I obtained an MA in Education and a PhD in art theory and aesthetics.
These degrees lead me to the field of art education where I worked for 27 years, as a professor, arts administrator and researcher. However, in my heart I longed to be a full time practicing artist. In 2014 I decided to leave my academic career and pursue my art practice full time.
I am now a full time artist, oil painter, living and working in Tucson, AZ.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to success is always fraught with struggles and setbacks. But without these we would not grow.
For me most of the struggles were related to the development of strong bodies of work, finding an audience for my art and learning the business of art.
Creating work is great and enjoyable, but getting it in front of the eyes of those who might be interested in it can be a challenge.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a representational oil painter who is drawn to genre scenes, intimate scenes of people in everyday life at work or play. I love to capture people in the moment, in candid unscripted poses with unguarded expressions. The intent is to create visual metaphors of narrative moments in ongoing stories of life.
I am mostly known for my snap shots of life in cafe/restaurant and street scenes. My subject matter comes from places I have visited, thus my work features imagery from locations far and near.
I am most proud of the scenes that come from my imagination. These paintings are generally created from drawings that I have done and photo references that I have taken while traveling.
The thing that sets my work apart from others is my semi-impressionistic approach, use of color and light, and the fact that I chose to create multi-person compositions.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I will often start a painting on cite as a plein air painting and then complete the work in my studio. The plein air painting sometimes serves as a study for a larger version of the captured subject matter. Other times the plein air piece serves as an oil sketch, that I complete in the studio in the small format.
Pricing:
- $250.00 to $500.00 for very small works 6×8, 8×10
- $600.00 to $1900 for small works
- $2000 to $4000 for medium works
- $5000 and up for large paintings
- $11,000 and up for very large paintings
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jacquelinechanda.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/chandaj140
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jacquelinechandaartist
