Michelle Jung: CAC Exhibitions
Michelle Jung’s masterful plein air paintings are concurrently in five major exhibitions, two sponsored by the California Art Club of which she is a signature member.
Evening Tide, oil on canvas, 12 x 16 inches (from the Sea Series)
Juried into California Art Club’s “A Journey Along The California Coast“, 2017
This exhibition will focus on classic beach imagery along the Pacific Coast Highway, from Mendocino to San Diego.
California Art Club Gallery at The Old Mill, San Marino, CA
September 12, 2017 – January 14, 2018
Michelle Jung is recognized for her large paintings of majestic seascapes and landscapes. A Connecticut native, Jung works outdoors from life, creating small paintings to be used as reference for larger studio works. Nature, beauty, and the dualistic qualities we feel as humans continue to inspire what she paints. Working in series, Jung uses classical methods of painting in layers to evoke a timeless feeling in her work.
Sea Series
“This series is about relationships. The relationship between water and land, its dualistic qualities and the power and tension created when the two entities merge. The metaphoric aspect in the work is purposeful and orchestrated to lure the viewer into the natural world. The Northern California coastline is a place of steep cliffs plunging into rough seas, a perfect place of energy transformation. I spent one year painting “en plein air” on a daily bases battling the weather and terrain to acquire material for this series. The following two years, I worked in my studio developing design ideas for large scale paintings. Each painting took many months to dry in between the multiple layers of oil paint. This process, along with color interaction creates the illusion of motion in the water. The viewpoint of the viewer is intentionally suspended above the shore and water to enhance the experience of levity and, the composition is severely cropped to create tension. Yet, the sense of peacefulness and beauty fill the canvas with balance and harmony. I paint with empathy. I want to paint not only what I feel, but what we feel as humans.” ~Michelle Jung
Other works in exhibition from the Sea Series:
Sun on Your Wings, oil canvas, 36 x 24 inches
Exhibiting at the 2017 American Masters exhibition at the Salmagundi Club in NYC,
September 29 – October 27, 2017
Silent Watchers, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 x 2 inches
Touring six museums in the 17th American Society of Marine Artists National Exhibition at Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic, CT
October 14, 2017 – January 21, 2018
The Pinnacle, oil on canvas, 30 x 24 x 1 inches
ASMA Invitational, Lyme Art Association’s Goodman Gallery (2017)
at the Lyme Art Association, Old Lyme, CT
September 8 – November 3, 2017
Succulent, oil on canvas, 30 x 30 x 2 inches (from the Flora Series)
Juried into the CAC’s “Golden State Splendor” exhibition at the Santa Paula Art Museum, 2017
The exhibition includes a variety of works that represent the beauty and heart of the Golden State, featuring all categories of California Art Club members.
Santa Paula Art Museum, Santa Paula, CA
July 15 – November 5, 2017
Flora Series
“Nature is a major influence in my new series, Flora. The initial inspiration comes from my experience outdoors painting and observing beauty. Plein air painting is a tool I use to capture color and atmosphere. It is also a place for exploration and a chance for all my senses to take in information. In the studio, I utilize my experience outdoors with critical thinking to construct a composition that conveys to the viewer: sight, sound and mood.
The main purpose in this series is to compose idyllic beauty in a natural setting. I believe the landscape is at its most powerful when two energies collide; for example heaven and earth or light and dark. Using elements of nature as metaphors, I am able to explore dualism through artistic practices. In my past work, I explored how water and earth interact with one another through seascape paintings. Cropping, viewpoint and incorporating the sounds of water enhanced the experience of how land succumbs to the power of water. In this new exhibition, I continue the concept of dualistic thinking by analyzing chaos and order in woodland settings. I use intuitive reasoning and succumb to the rhythms of nature to make decisions in composition and to create harmony.
To reach a much deeper region of the conscious of the viewer, I expanded the vocabulary of my painting process through pigment manipulation. Along with brushes, I have added the palette knife and cold wax to build up paint on the canvas and enhance the surface and create another dimension of visual exploration. Also, I used a spatula and sandpaper to scrape and sand down to uncover and reveal the canvas and wood. This continual process of taking apart and reconstructing creates an abstraction of movement. It also mirrors my concept of dualistic models in art expression.
In summary, my vision in Flora is to demonstrate through the artistic process that it is our selective path in life that can bring order and peace to chaos. Most importantly, that a path of beauty is achievable if it is done with intention.” ~Michelle Jung
An additional work recently exhibited by the CAC from the Flora Series:
California Eucalyptus, oil on panel, 40 x 48
Selected for the California Art Club’s 106th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition at the Autry Museum of the American West, 2017.
The historic California Art Club presents its signature exhibition, spotlighting more than 200 sculpture and paintings of genres ranging from landscapes and seascapes to figures and still lifes. The exhibiting artists include nationally renowned representational artists who have been active in expanding interest in the California Impressionist heritage associated with the organization’s founding in 1909.
The Autry in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, CA
April 9 – 30, 2017
To view more of Michelle Jung’s exceptional work, visit her website at:
About Michelle Jung
Michelle Jung
Jung received her M.F.A. in Painting from the Academy of Art University (San Francisco) and her B.A. in Art History from Colorado State University (Fort Collins). She has participated in international and national exhibitions and was a finalist in the 2016 and 2017 Art Renewal Center’s International Salon and the California Art Club’s 2016 and 2017 Gold Medal Exhibition. She has won several notable awards throughout her career. Jung is a member of the Salmagundi Club, an elected artist member of The Guild of Boston Artists, a signature member of the California Art Club, a signature member of the American Society of Marine Artists, and an Art Renewal Center Associate Living Master.
Jung is represented by The Guild of Boston Artists Gallery (Boston).
About the CAC
Founded in 1909, the California Art Club is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit organization built on the foundation of promoting and supporting contemporary-traditional fine art. As one of the oldest, largest and most active art organizations in the country, the CAC is committed to keeping traditional art alive and believe that our unique outreach programs will continue to attract new generations of artists and patrons alike.
Visit the CAC website to learn more at: https://www.californiaartclub.org
