about jacqueline
Artist's Statement
Roses have always been a part of my visual language cropping up in various bodies of work although it took me a while to realise it.
Ten years ago I was an art director who quite literally dreamed of painting. One night I saw myself painting a giant red rose, as an opera diva in a red dress sang in the middle of a huge black velvety auditorium. Consequently I felt compelled to paint the canvas I had foreseen in my dream, which in real life measured seven feet square. Shocked to have painted anything so big I hung the painting on my living room wall for the next five years absorbing its existence and the experience of painting.
When a friend purchased the painting, I felt the need to fill the void left by its departure, so I painted some more roses. After a while these too went to new homes, so in between other bodies of work, I would paint the occasional rose.
During a trip to Paris in 1998, I found myself drawn to the elegant parks and gardens. The rose was a constant signature in these environs, particularly Parc de Bagatelle which has a formal rose garden with thousands of varieties of roses. Another favourite was Parc Monceau.
Upon my return, these memories and those of huge bouquets of peony roses glimpsed in alleyway flower boutiques inspired me afresh to revisit roses as a serious subject matter, attempting to paint them in all their fleshy forms and voluptuous colours, resulting in a solo exhibition in Sydney, December 2001.
The move to South Australia has only deepened my relationship with the subject matter as I am able to source roses from the growers directly and have access to a much larger range than previously. South Australia is rose heaven.
Jacqueline Coates