art treatise
a giant inventory of experiences
Jay DeChesere’s paintings and drawings reflect his passion for travel and
love of the natural world By Kathryn Manis
Jay DeChesere’s home studio includes two work areas, one for pastels and another for watercolors.
54
WBM october 2019
CENTRALLY
located in artist
and architect Jay
DeChesere’s stu-dio
is a dual work
setup. This semi-circular
space includes one raised,
easel-like platform devoted to his
watercolor practice and another to
his more recent work with pastels.
As he paints, DeChesere is sur-rounded
by breathtaking views of
North Carolina nature and a wall
of works in progress and sketches,
inviting the artist to contemplate
the broad assortment of inspiration
around him.
DeChesere describes the items
typically found hanging on the vision
board of this creative space.
“There are quick sketches that
may become pastel pieces, a sketch
of my granddaughter that I’m afraid
to paint, and studies that I do of the
works of other artists so that I can
better understand how they achieve
it,” he says.
This diverse, brightly lit and per-fectly
balanced workspace mirrors
DeChesere’s artistic works, which
range from loose, quickly rendered
sketches of ephemeral moments to
elaborate and impressively detailed
figurative works, conveying rich
cultural and environmental variety.
Whether he is depicting complex
landscapes and cityscapes encoun-tered
during his extensive world
travels or capturing local settings
and individuals quickly and en plein
aire, DeChesere’s images are palpa-bly
evocative and engaging. They
reveal an attention to balance, line
quality and perspective, likely begun
with his architecture practice.
ALLISON POTTER