Meet Master Artist Jeanne Tangney - Inside Art With Michael Rose

Meet Master Artist Jeanne Tangney - Inside Art With Michael Rose

 

Pastels have been used throughout history by individuals from Da Vinci to Degas. For local artist Jeanne Tangney, they are a cornerstone of her practice and have resulted in great success. Rated as a Master Pastelist, Tangney currently has a collection of landscapes on view at Hammetts Hotel in the heart of Newport through June 1.

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Tangney was raised in Rhode Island and lives and works in Newport. She earned a BA in Painting and a BS in Art Education from Rhode Island College, where she studied under Enrico Pinardi. A member of the American Impressionist Society and the Portrait Society of America, her work is in the permanent collections of a number of corporations including Fidelity Investments, Cambridge Savings Bank, Berkshire Partners, and Newport Hospital.

 

 

Tangney works in a studio at the La Farge Arts Center adjoining the historic Congregational Church designed by famed stained glass artist John La Farge and still bearing most of his decorative program. On a recent studio visit, it was clear that Tangney draws much inspiration from the remarkable architecture of the venue. Her studio, tucked on the second floor, is expansive and doubles as a space where she takes students who are eager to learn from her.

 

Renowned for her use of pastels, Tangney has earned dozens of accolades. A member of the Connecticut Pastel Society and the Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod, she holds the rankings of Eminent Pastelist from the International Association of Pastel Societies and Master Pastelist from the Pastel Society of America. Some of the recent prizes she has received include the Pastel Society of the West Coast Award, the Pastel Society of Maine Award, the American Artists Professional League Award, the Great American Pastel Award, and the National Arts Club Award, among others.

 

 

Asked about why she loves to work with the medium, Tangney answers, “When I first picked up a stick of pastel in college, I felt an instant connection that has never diminished. I love the vibrancy and immediacy of this medium, the feeling of holding nearly pure pigment in my hand. The effects that are possible with the various papers and brands that are now available are endless.”

 

Through June 1, Tangney is the featured artist at Hammetts Hotel in collaboration with Jessica Hagen Fine Art. The show includes coastal landscapes that evoke the place the artist calls home. The works on view are full of the vibrant color that pastels bring to the table and show off the painter’s mastery of capturing light and atmosphere.

 

 

Describing her inspiration and goal behind these pieces, Tangney states, “We live in a very special coastal area surrounded by beauty. Sometimes light hits the landscape in a certain way that stops me in my tracks - I try to capture these moments in my work.”

 

In addition to working with Jessica Hagen Fine Art, Tangney has been with Charlestown Gallery since its inception and has been in numerous juried shows including at Newport Art Museum, RISD Museum, Attleboro Arts Museum, Art League Rhode Island, Lyme Art Association, and Cape Cod Art Association. She has been exhibiting for over 30 years, and for most of that time practiced her art alongside a busy day job.

 

 

One of the ways that Tangney keeps in practice as an artist is by attending portrait drawing sessions and teaching the practice to others. On a wall in her studio, there are rows of portraits of local sitters. In her signature loose style, she captures perfect likenesses of her models, many of whom are artists themselves. Tangney shapes long waves of loosely flowing hair of one individual or the distinctive bangs of another, sweepingly blocked in with pastels or sometimes oils. She also has an eye for detail and is able to pinpoint the perfect reflection on a glittering gold earring.

 

 

Reflecting on the place this work has in her life, Tangney explains, “I have always been fascinated by the art of portraiture. Even as a child, I loved to draw faces, and in college, it became my area of concentration. My work has evolved over the years, and I have become even more focused, drawing and painting people from life on a weekly basis. I am constantly learning, and nothing makes me happier than to share my knowledge with my students. They make me want to continue perfecting my skills, and seeing their progress is enormously satisfying.”

 

A remarkable technician and generous artist, Tangney has a rich and impressive creative life. Her show at Hammetts is a testament to her skillset with pastels and her work is so sumptuous it might just make viewers want to take up pastels themselves.

 

Learn more about Jeanne Tangney at www.jtangney.com, or follow her on Instagram at @jeannetangney.