Jessica Mongeon is a Master of Fine Arts candidate at MSU Bozeman, and moved to Bozeman in August of 2010. Her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree is from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND (graduated in 2008) and she grew up on a family farm in Rolette, North Dakota. Her previous work focused on the prairie, but since moving to Bozeman, she has been inspired by the mountains that surround us.
“I find inspiration and take most of my source photos while skiing or snowboarding. Since living in Colorado for a summer interning for the US Olympic Committee for public relations, and living in Vermont for a month in 2009 during an artist’s residency at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont, I have been fascinated by the mountains, which is one of the reasons I came to Montana. I am also a yoga instructor, so I am interested in the meditative experience, especially when found in the outdoors.”

Jessica’s current exhibition of paintings can be found at The Blue Ocean Innovation Center, a new business in Bozeman that has decided to host featured artists. The exhibit is up now through March 24 and the exhibit space is open from 10am to 5pm, Monday through Thursday. The Blue Ocean Innovation Center is located at 1820 West Lincoln St.

The paintings currently on exhibit are based on Montana ski culture because for many people, winter sports provide a sense of awareness and consciousness. They depict an environment that places the viewer securely in the present moment. We are drawn to the mountains by more than an admiration for their scenic views. Mountains assume a spiritual meaning in many cultures, because they are higher, therefore closer to nature and the gods. While in Western culture we may not think of mountains in this way, we still gravitate towards them for some reason, perhaps they make us feel calmer, more connected to the earth.

While the mountains are depicted in a realistic way, the abstract elements are meant to affect the viewer in a visceral sense, rather than cognitive. Vibrant, contrasting hues are floating on the surface, melting together, and creating structural elements within the composition. I examine ways that cool and warm colors cause spatial areas to advance or retract, as well as creating an illusion of three dimensional space versus an awareness of the picture plane.

More of Jessica’s work can be found at www.jessicamongeon.com, and she can be contacted at art@jessicamongeon.com or 701-871-1501.