I am delighted to have been featured in a article in this September/October edition of Ottawa Life Magazine. Hear my thoughts about my craft, and the thriving Ottawa art scene.
OLM: What drew you to painting abstracts?
Jetté: As much as I wish to be gifted at figurative drawing, it has never been my forté. I am completely obsessed with colour. How colours mix together to create an emotional response guides my work. While at University, I was able to really experiment with abstraction in my paintings. I found myself naturally organizing my canvases in a certain way: I like to have a horizon line, and weight and balance that mimic landscape. Though my work can be called abstract, they are very much rooted in the natural world.
OLM: What are some of your favourite landscapes to paint?
Jetté: Though I am influenced by images of the Canadian North, (mountains, snow, northern lights), my paintings are my own imaginings. I love to play with colours that are unexpected, like a snowy landscape with gold peaks, or an alien purple sky. I like to create another world that the viewer can get lost in. Iridescent paint is one of my favourite tools to use, and it is very rarely seen in Fine Art. I add a touch of whimsy to my pieces that are compelling and unusual.
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OLM: What are you feelings on Ottawa’s art community? Can some improvements be made to it?
Jetté: Ottawa, although the capital of Canada, is not known for its flourishing art scene, and that is a shame. When I was in school, my professors were constantly telling us “if you want to make it, you have to move to Montreal, Toronto or B.C.” and I felt like they were just furthering the stigma instead of trying to cultivate the scene.
To say that there are no good artists or venues in Ottawa is a complete lie. We have wonderful galleries like
Cube,
Orange and
Saw and almost every restaurant or coffee shop encourages artists to show in their space. I think people’s attitude about Ottawa being only a government town needs to change so that the rest of Canada can take notice!
