Former teacher pens book about color theory
By Jennifer Blenner
|
 A red canvas is always the starting point for acclaimed Bel Air artist Caroline Jasper. "Red is not to be unnoticed. Your eye sees red, it projects and jumps out of the work."
- Caroline Jasper |
Jasper, a resident of Bel Air, is a critically acclaimed artist, and her paintings have won numerous awards and hand in public and private collections worldwide.
At a young age she began drawing on envelopes and continued her passion for art through high school. "I always knew I was going to do something with art" she said, but it wasn't until college that she found her niche. At the time, she disliked painting and the methods her professors used, and instead she focused on fiber and sculptural aspects of art. She was interested in landscape painting, but her art professor wanted her to explore other options "I learned from that experience to be more open-minded." she said, adding that she often talks about that experience with her students.
She earned a bachelor's degree in art education from Towson University and a master's degree in fine arts at the Maryland Institute College of Art.
Painting is her love, but teaching is in her blood. Following in the footsteps of her mother, Jasper taught art for 31 years in Baltimore County public schools.
"I love teaching," she said. "It is very rewarding. It is always different, always challenging, and you're always creating something."
Although she retired from teaching two years ago, she continues to teach art workshops and considers herself always to be a student, "If you think you know everything, you aren't learning," she said. She admits she knows a lot about a few things, but says she will continue to see, learn and paint.
Jasper uses unconventional methods in oil painting by combining her formal training and personal exploration Her painting methods are therresult of studying artists whose work she admires. She is influenced by Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painters. Known for her striking use of light and color, Jasper is motivated by light. "It's always about the light," she said.
The perfect lighting can bring to life the most ordinary places. Landscape as well as water, windows and roadways are some of her favorite subjects to paint, she says.
Over the years, Teresa Yost Bennett, sculptor and partner in The Picture Show
|
Art Gallery and Custom Framing in Havre de Grace says she has seen Jasper become a better artist. "She is more prolific since her retirement and she has expanded her subject matter," she said.
In the beginning, Jasper painted mostly houses and now she paints boats, water scenes, red brick buildings and trees. She primarily paints in the studio in her home, working from direct observation or original photographs capturing the light and shadow effects at different times during a day.
Red is her trademark. Each of her paintings begin on a canvas completely covered in vibrant red. To her, the color invokes emotional and artistic appeal. Red evokes strong feelings, such as love, anger, and vitality.
"Red is not to be unnoticed" she said, "Your eye sees red, it projects and jumps out of the work."
When painting, she first applies whites and darks, in individual brush strokes. By the end, the underlying red is visible but still permeates the canvas. The red produces a clear visual effect.
As an artist, she has the freedom to choose what she wants to paint. In order to find suitable subjects, she drives around. "I look at something and I see paintings," she said. "I frame it in my mind."
|
