Jennifer Harwood
They have no faces, yet there is an intimacy in Jennifer Harwood’s dancer paintings. As it turns out, this Vancouver artist has a background as a professional dancer.
“I feel I can identify with the emotional response of the body poses. I have actually mimicked the pose to get the sense of what it feels like and how it makes me feel doing it. I love and miss the immediate connection you get when you dance, especially when you’re dancing someone’s choreography and telling a story. I am looking for ways to bring that feeling to my art-making. Perhaps that is why I prefer to paint on a larger canvas. It forces you to be more physical to cover such a large space. I also typically listen to music when I paint as well.”
Harwood didn’t start dancing until she was at Simon Fraser University. As a youngster, she was too busy with theatre, choir and various sports teams. “Drawing and painting was my first interest as a child. I always signed up for art classes at school, painted and drew on my bedroom walls at home – thanks Mom and Dad! I did a summer intensive at Emily Carr at age sixteen, which really inspired my love of creating.”
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Mlle Mossi. 2016
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With plans to pursue a post high school career in the visual arts, Harwood applied to a graphic design program. She submitted her portfolio, but was rejected. “Knowing what I know now, I was probably more suited to a drawing or painting program, not graphic design.” The rejection was hurtful: “it created some blocks regarding my perceived artistic abilities, for sure.” But, if she had been accepted, she would have missed out on the “amazing dance training, performance opportunities and friendships made from my pursuit of dance.”
Harwood’s dance career started with a college class experiment. “I enrolled in an Intro to Modern Dance class and was hooked. I then auditioned for the dance program and was accepted. After I got my BA in dance from SFU, I had opportunities to work with Vancouver choreographers Judith Garay founder of dancersdancing dance company and Lee Eisner as well as Conrad Alexandrowicz in Toronto, performing in dance festivals both in Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa.”
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Black Swan. 2016
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As her dancing wound down, Harwood found her way back to training and work, first in commercial design then as a full-time artist. Her recent Dancers series was inspired by a friend with whom Harwood danced and performed in Vancouver.
“She had a lot of training in ballet as a child and I wanted to create something personal for her that also expressed our shared love of dance. Through the process of creating this commissioned work, I did a series of thumbnail paintings with the idea of dance and movement. The outcome from these studies varied from very literal figures of dancers to abstract expressions of movement using dynamic brushstrokes. While the commission went down the more abstract road, I loved the dancers enough to want to explore further.”
As she was researching dance imagery, Harwood discovered some intriguing vintage photographs. “I found them through the New York Public Library’s digital collection. These posed studio shots caught my eye. I was struck by their pleasant nature and the period costumes. Something about these photos really sparked my imagination wondering who these women were and the life they must have had led being performers at that time.”
Rose Edythe was one of the dancers who caught Harwood’s interest. “I liked her pose. She looks like she is back stage peeking threw the curtains, seeing who is in the audience. She has a happy, excited energy, the kind of nervous energy you get just before going on stage. I was also really drawn to the costume: the full skirt, belt and trims. I knew I wanted these paintings to be in black and white, focusing on creating forms through light and dark values. I chose photos that had strong contrast already.”
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Harwood was also intrigued by Rita W. “I find these dance portraits to have this ethereal, graceful quality about them. They each have their own personality. Even though I have not created true portraits of these dancers – I intentionally did not paint the face – I felt I needed to honour who these women were. Recognizing that they are real people. That is why I chose to name each painting by the dancer’s name.”
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These dancing muses – who come from the New York Public Library’s Treasures of the American Performing Arts, 1875-1923 – are from a time period that has always interested Harwood. “I find the older dancers much more interesting. I seem to be drawn to that era. A lot of books I read seem to be written about this time period. There is something about the transition of upper class formality and this bohemian artistic energy that was happening at that time.”
For her Dancers series, Harwood also did two triptychs, one of which we see in our header photo. “ They were less portrait like and more expressive of the bodies in motion. To me this is the essence of dance and I may one day explore this intention in future paintings with live dancers.”
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Corps De Ballet. 2016
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As a full-time artist, Harwood particularly enjoys having her studio at 1000 Parker Street. “Parker Studios is an interesting place. There are lots of artists of all disciplines doing their thing. There is definitely a feeling of creative energy and history in the building. Everyone is very supportive.” Harwood adopts a regular schedule for her art work. “I am able to get to the studio Monday through Friday, painting for 4 or 5 hours a day. If my schedule allows or if I have a show I am trying to get work completed, I will come in on a Saturday or Sunday.”
You will be able to see Harwood’s Dancers – along with her Landscapes, Florals and Abstract pieces – at the Parker Art Salon, running from May 5th to 7th. “It is now in its 3rd year. It has been a great opportunity for artists to come together. Because of this event I have had the opportunity to connect with other artist’s in the building and to get know them better.”
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Crissie Carlyle. 2016
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And, if you’re interested in accessing the more than 180,000 New York Public Library items now in the public domain, check out their Digital Collections website.
New York Public Library Digital Collections
Written by Elizabeth Newton
www.creatorsvancouver.com
