Jamie Madison

“You walk for days among trees and among stones. Rarely does the eye light on a thing, and then only when it has recognized that thing as a sign of another thing – all the rest is silent and interchangeable, trees and stones are only what they are.” – Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities

The John Natsoulas Gallery is proud to present the newest exhibition of Jamie Madison’s elegant compositions. This talented painter centers nature and the reaction to nature within each of her works, and she uses a variety of media to capture the beauty of the environment. This new collection of large and small mixed media paintings arises from the consideration of the way walking among trees and along creeks looks and feels. Madison focuses on how elements of nature arrange themselves, and her paintings have a considered randomness, a sort of natural calligraphy that generates feelings of calmness and wonder. Madison typically begins her process by examining her own photographs of natural settings, and focuses each painting on a concept such as the effects of light, the reverence evoked by a stroll in the countryside, or the beauty of juxtaposition. Through her rapid application of paints, gouaches, inks, pencils, and collaged paper, Madison creates dynamic and lyrical compositions.

Jamie Madison received her BFA at UC Davis, where she studied with Wayne Thiebaud and Roland Peterson. More recently, she has studied with Fan O’Niell of the New York Studio School and Enrique Martinez Celaya.