San Francisco-based artist Michelle Jader creates expressive portraits of people in motion. Rendered on stacks of translucent acrylic panels, her series of layered paintings symbolically captures the complex emotions that emerge “when we willingly and unwillingly dive into the next phase of our life.”
Void of settings or backdrops, these striking paintings feature subjects as they dance, leap, fall, or float into the unknown. Each oil portrait is composed of several piled panels, conceptually reflecting “the multilayered emotions experienced right after we leave the cliff, armed only with faith in ourselves.” When stacked, these panels evoke depth and motion through distorted perspectives and blurred lines.
Prior to becoming an artist, Jader owned a marketing consulting business. Her decision to change careers undoubtedly inspired this series of paintings, as she perfectly conveys the push-and-pull that making a major life decision often entails. “Whether it’s moving to a new city, starting or ending a relationship, having a baby, or quitting a job,” she explains, “these moments of endings and beginnings are alternately terrifying and exhilarating. Ready or not, we jump, fall or are pushed, and our lives change.”
You can see more of Jader's stunning portraits on her website.
Artist Michelle Jader creates striking layered paintings of people diving into the unknown.
Jader achieves this aesthetic by painting on acrylic panels that she skillfully stacks on top of one another.
This unique process results in translucent portraits of people in motion.
