I have developed a visual language that allows me great freedom. In capturing the beauty of ordinary objects, observing and portraying people interwoven in the intricate tapestry of life, be it a fragment of a theatre life, an ambiance of a café, an interior scene, I'm distilling the essence of a moment through the use of vibrant and harmonious colours and gestural lines. The study of light is central to my approach, which aims to render the atmosphere in a specific moment. I aim to evoke the emotion of being there and share these so simple and in fact extraordinary slices of everyday life.
Born in Montreal in 1958, artist Jeannette Perreault dove into the world of self directed artistic career, bolstered by her enrolment at Université du Québec à Montréal from 1982 to 1984 where she studied the visual arts, art history and drawing. As an accomplished painter who primarily works in oil on canvas, she continues her participation in numerous life-drawing workshops and explorations of mixed media techniques and ink on paper, all of which steadily influence her creative expression and add layers of depth to her unique visual language. In it, through the eloquent use of line, expressive colours and her keen ability to capture the quality of light, intricate scenes emerge and frame compelling narratives in celebration of sublimities of everyday life.
In her figurative works and still life alike, Jeannette Perreault explores existential themes from an intimate point of view. From the coffeehouses of Montreal, Paris, Barcelona to the street scenes of the cities explored through her travels, on the pages of her sketchbook, in fluid gestures, she grasps the expressions of the men and women occupying these places and distills the essence of each location. Her drawing reveals the yearning to capture the particular ambiance of a place and preserve the truth of the moment.
Another part of her career evolved around the stage: dancers, musicians and, especially, actors. At the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde (TNM) in Montreal, she draws actors in their dressing rooms and backstage. This approach renders the necessity to seize emotion in a minimalist line that holds the essence, the soul, the sensibility of the model. At the theatre and in the coffee shop, she’s looking for that specific gesture that characterizes individuality. Through the expressive force of her colours, she creates harmony, infuses the scene with light and evokes emotion. In seemingly effortless brushwork, using thick texture and precise gestures, the fluidity of her visual language confers an intensity, passion, beauty and absolute freedom to her works of art.
Over the course of her prolific career, Jeannette Perreault presented thirty solo exhibitions and participated in more than seventy collective exhibitions. Her works grace many corporate and private collections in Canada, the United States and Europe.
