Meet the Artist
Jacqueline Chanda
“I plan my paintings out based on thematic or conceptual series, looking for visual information that will aid me in executing a set of paintings with different compositions based on the theme or concept I have selected.”
Jacqueline Chanda was born in Detroit and grew up in California, attending UCLA where she majored in painting and drawing with a focus on education. Why education? She had been told that it was difficult to make a living being an artist. She continued her art studies at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, the Académie de Port-Royal and Sorbonne University where she eventually completed a Ph.D. in plastic arts theory and aesthetics.
Her greatest influences are artists including Richard Diebenkorn, Edgar Degas, and especially Paul Cézanne. She appreciates that Cézanne could say a lot with just a little, some suggestion in form or light. Nearly all her landscapes are done plein air, capturing a moment in the short time before the sun moves and the light changes the scene.
Since focusing full time on her painting practice, Jacqueline has been very active, participating in residencies, and creating, exhibiting and selling her artwork.
For Jacqueline, every painting is an adventure as she explores memories of places, sights and sounds she has experienced in her life and the lives of her customers. When she’s not in her studio, Jacqueline can be found riding her road bike, putting in roughly 100 miles per week.
See more at jacquelinechanda.com.
This year’s poem was written by Julia Meylor Simpson. Julia lives in Groton, Connecticut, where she is retired from careers in journalism, teaching and corporate communications. She worked at Amica for 17 years as a writer and communications/public relations manager, and has written the poem for Amica's Thanksgiving card in previous years. Her poetry has been published in numerous regional and national literary journals. We appreciate her sharing her time and talents with us.