Artist Lecture Response

I attended the final artist lecture of the semester in which Jennifer Lamontagne presented. Jennifer Lamontagne is an alum of the art department at UNH, graduating two years ago with a BFA focused on painting and drawing. Jennifer presented pieces spanning from her time at UNH to her present day work. Her style and approach seemed to have shifted quite a bit even in the short window between her graduation and the present day.

Jennifers talk focused mainly on her experiences post-grad, however she did touch upon her creative process during her undergrad years. As an undergrad, her work was mainly introspective, containing motifs and expressing her feelings and experiences, in particular, with living as a type I diabetic.  She received an undergraduate research grant to study religious art. Beyond that, she showcased a few very large self portraits on unstretched canvas, made with gesso and charcoal.

Her thoughts and reactions and how her work and perspective changed when one of her professors remarked that the women in her pieces appeared submissive was very interesting. Art is very introspective, and when viewed from a more subjective standpoint a lot of work can have different interpretations. Jennifer’s works evolution following this highlight how helpful critiques or commentary can be.

The primary focus of her lecture was on job hunting as a post-graduate. She strongly emphasized that at her most successful opportunities, she wasn’t doing exactly what she had envisioned herself doing, but rather adapting her skillset to the unexpected. This is a great perspective on life and the workplace.