In my still life paintings, I isolate objects from their normal context and portray them in a way that allows them to become symbolic, metaphorical, or provocative. I find that everyday objects can provide a powerful window into the lives that people live and the finished paintings often evoke powerful personal associations. When I use food as the focus of my work, I am interested in bringing it out of the realm of the literal and using the simple forms to create patterns.  Seeing the abstract in the real allows me to play with shape and geometry. Observing closely, and noticing with clarity the myriad of beautiful details, nourishes my soul.  Repetition, within each painting, results in a profound appreciation of the things we take for granted.

Jaye Schlesinger is a visual artist living in Ann Arbor, Michigan, specializing in oil and gouache paintings of common objects.  She has previously worked as a medical illustrator, drawing professor, graphic artist, museum exhibit designer, and furniture maker.  Her work has been described as “abstract and painterly while simultaneously representational and illusionistic.” She exhibits extensively in solo and group shows and has won numerous awards, including a Pollock/Krasner Foundation Grant and finalist for the Alexander Rutsch Award. Her work appears in many publications and she has been selected as artist-in-residence in programs throughout the United States.