Jaye Schlesinger is the newest member of the artist-owned and operated WSG Gallery, but the Ann Arbor painter has long been a mainstay in the local creative community.

She holds two degrees from the University of Michigan—an MFA in painting (1976) and one in medical illustration (1988)—and has had numerous appearances in group exhibitions as well as 14 solo shows of her work.

Schlesinger's new spotlight show at WSG Gallery, Points of View, continues her trend of identifying a theme and exploring it from numerous angles—for instance, Possession, her 2017 exhibit at U-M's Institute for the Humanities gallery, focused on paintings of household objects.

Windows are the primary theme for the gouache paintings in Points of View, which Schlesinger explains in her artist statement:

A window is a metaphor for looking in or looking out, transparency of reflection. It can symbolize an opening or a barrier, distortion or clarity.

When a subject resonates with me, I use it as the basis for a series of paintings in order to take a closer look—to discover deeper meanings and to experiment with new ways of approaching paint. In these paintings of windows, in their many forms, I am trying to evoke a little bit of mystery within ordinary viewpoints.

In the paintings of the backsides of trucks, the explicit window is absent. The implied windshield exposes my view of the looming vehicle ahead. Instead of being an obstacle, an impediment to get around, the truck becomes the focus and reveals alluring visual elements that are hardly noticed in real time.

Window reflections, especially in high rise buildings, create beautiful distortions, whimsical distractions, geometric patterns. These paintings lose the subject matter entirely and become playful compositions of color and shape. At its most basic level, a window is a literal point of view—a place of observation. We come to creating art or looking at art, from an individual point of view. I look closely for patterns and rhythm and interesting relationships, balance and calm. I simplify the focus in an attempt to bring new perspectives to the commonplace.

Schlesinger also has an artist statement on her website, but it's not about Points of View, or any other specific exhibit. It's a general commentary on her creative process, giving viewers a good sense of her method of honing in on a specific theme before commencing a new series of paintings:

I have been a still life painter of common objects for about 15 years.  Periodically I veer off into new directions, exploring other ways to organize my visual thinking. This leads to discovery, confusion, and excitement while creating with less predictable results. Most recently, I felt the need to respond, through my art, to current events and sociological/cultural issues.

In my most recent projects, I begin each piece of art with a question or a hunch. The particular format and technique develop as I attempt to find and, possibly, reveal an answer. Most of this work involves repetition, pattern, and reconfiguration and often is based on a system that has been predetermined. 

My process consists of a gestation period where the question/topic looms and then percolates while my visual considerations become clearer.  There is often a mathematical or analytical element in designing the system and arriving at the final presentation  The challenge has been to find new visual vocabularies and design solutions—to pair the specific question or issue with an approachable and elegant visual format. Having a system that is based on repetition, usually involving a grid of some sort, provides me with a sense of stability and structure - not surprising, as what is at the root of this series of artwork is a need to make sense of our current realities.

In my still life paintings I am drawn to objects of everyday life—boxes, bags, packaging materials, tools, books, bottles, food—forms that have a strong geometric component, that are solid and stable.  Depicting them in paint allows me the sheer pleasure of transforming a three-dimensional subject onto a two dimensional surface, with all the formal considerations of composition, rhythm, balance, and technique, as well as the opportunity to portray them as metaphors for universal themes.

Jaye Schlesinger's Points of View is at WSG Gallery, 111 East Ann Street, Ann Arbor, through November 22. Visit wsg-art.com for hours and more info.