Notes From The City: An Abundant Life

I met Jacqueline Firmo Falconi on Instagram before we met in person, and over time I saw her work in various shows and online, and I discovered that we knew some of the same people, so in a way I felt like I knew her, and when I did finally meet her, it felt as if we had known each other personally for a while. Her work is diverse, although it seems as I look at it now to select a few images for this blog that there is a similar style running through each of her subjects, as the Landscapes, Florals, Portraits, Still Life, and what is listed on her website at "Other Work" all seem to bring together the feelings of the colorful life and beauty of people and surroundings and objects with at times an almost whimsical tone of joy and celebration. Riotous colors explode into life on the page or quietly reflect off of the canvas, a blue veil brings a precious beauty to a woman's face as a bouquet of flowers brings a quiet joy to the stark and glistening black of a grand piano.

Born in Paris, Jacqueline has traveled all over the world, and in her paintings she seeks to share the images that have been brought into her own experiences during her travels. As she works with her oils to create richly hued tones and deeply defined imagery, the subjects of her musings come to life for us in a way that brings us into their world. From her early education at the Sorbonne to her studies at the National Academy of Fine Arts in Manhattan, she has refined her work while still maintaining a sense of its exuberant life. By exploring various subjects and imagery, she captures a sense of the unique humanity of the people she paints, while helping us discover the innate life in a cityscape, a body of water, or a blossoming cherry tree. Her vision is one that brings a clear-sighted truth to her paintings as she works with palate knife and brush to create textures and layers and bring levels of darkness and light to play off of each other. Glittering lights reflect off water as the still, dark mountains rise above and around them, or a sunset glows golden through the reflections of blue sky and ocean on a sandy subtropical beach. As I viewed her work, the often-quoted line from Keats' poem "Ode On A Grecian Urn" came to mind, "Beauty is truth, truth beauty,-- that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know." Within these beautiful moments caught in time, light and truth shine out, and within the colors and layers and textures we can see more deeply and be renewed.

A Selection Of Images
From The Vision Of
Jacqueline Firmo Falconi
Photographs Courtesy Of The Artist's Website

http://www.jacquelinefirmofalconi.com/

Riflessi (Reflections)