Jennifer Oakley-Delaplante
Traverse City, Michigan - United States
Jennifer Oakley-Delaplante - Fine Artist
Member Since: 05/06/2011
I am a painter hunting for Beauty. I look for it in the moments that catch my breath. A bold flash of contrast or a delicately subtle atmosphere, each moment - each visual turn - can be an inspiration that carries a dynamic statement into a painting.
Sometimes, though, the beauty in things is not always the obvious. I search for loveliness in the places it is sometimes overlooked. And at times, I am just confronted by it in places where it is so overwhelming, I can only gasp. It is in these, and in countless other settings that, Somehow, incredible stories can be told through paint. And THAT is an amazing concept! I love to tell the stories. I am driven to elevate their value to the worthiness of a second look, and especially - a deeper thought. Color, Texture, and Transparency are the tools in my art box, and my process is then in deciding how they are to be manipulated (a mathematical problem and a spiritual one) to bring these illusions of Life - to life. To honor Life. It is my joy, and my sacred Call. What worth can some paint on paper or canvas really have, in the scope of Eternity? None whatsoever. Unless it is to remind us of Who's we are, and how deeply we are loved by Him: the Artist who made us - the One who was so moved by our sometimes-hidden beauty that He invited us to share in this creation. Beauty urges the need to create, and in this, we are like Him. With this reminder, a painting becomes a priceless treasure that can speak a story, His story, to our hearts continually. Whether Landscape, Portrait, or Life's Illustrations, I live to paint the stories: tiny glimpses of these treasured moments.
I grew up as a child painting and drawing in my home. I was encouraged by my mother, who gave me the opportunity, inspiration, and the supplies I needed to develop my skills early on. Right after high school, I went to art school for one semester before getting married and having my family - which then required a time of putting away my paints and attending to the 'art' of motherhood.
After seven years, the paints came back out again, and I began illustrating and teaching art as my source of income. Seventeen years after finishing my first semester of college, I decided to go back and complete my art degree. Four years later, with my five children present, I graduated with honors, earning a Bachelors of Fine Art degree at Kendall College of Art & Design. I majored in Illustration and earned my minor in Art History. I continued to teach, illustrate, and raise my children, while also attending Syracuse University's Master of Arts program in Illustration. I finally graduated in 2008 after completing my Master's Thesis, titled 'The Least of These', which documents the influence that children's books which deal with disability have had to change our society, in the way we look at and include our disabled people.
Most recently, I have been blessed with the rare opportunity to just concentrate on my painting full time. It has been a fast-track to new artistic growth for me, and it has given me the joy of finally accomplishing a good volume of Fine Art. Yet, with all this recent accomplishment, there is So Much still to do! …still one more thing to try - as I continue to pursue the heart of God through painting!
