En Plein Air with Jean Claude Roy

New work by international Expressionist-Colorist Jean Claude Roy will be showcased in the Grand Bohemian Gallery at Plant Riverside District throughout the month of November as part of the artist’s As 21^st Annual Art Tour. Roy is represented by The Kessler Collection’s Grand Bohemian Galleries in the United States and will attend an exclusive Artist Reception and Private Meet and Greet at Plant Riverside District on November 6.

South caught up with the prolific, self-taught painter to learn more about his distinctive style, his passion for landscapes, how his art has changed over the years and his future plans.

Why do you have such a deep passion for painting landscapes? 

I began painting landscapes early in my life in 1969 and then moved on to sculpture, portraits, still lifes. I tried everything, but always came back to landscape. A landscape is not just a field or some hills. There are people, or perhaps the people are standing behind me watching, or there were people there in the past. It is a human history, as well as a piece of geography.

I love when I can paint outside in all kinds of weather. This helps me create a feeling for the place, with the colors and movement. The paintings are my diary. The day may be hot and still, or windy and cold. A visitor may be telling me the story of his life, or I may hear a conversation from passersby. I may be happy or feeling oppressed that day. It is all there in the painting. You just have to look for it.

You currently split your time between France and Canada. What is it about these two places that speaks to you? 

I divide my time between Newfoundland, Canada and my childhood home in La Clisse, France, not far from Bordeaux and Cognac. Newfoundland is more rugged, and the weather is more challenging, while the French countryside has villages that date back hundreds of years. Both landscapes, so different, inspire me.

Every morning when I wake, my inspiration begins. In my head, I am already re-living driving through various landscapes, imagining where I want to install my easel and painting. I then begin my day by driving, looking for this scene, or another, that may attract me along the way. My eyes tell me when to stop the car.

The sun is a signature element of your work. How do you decide what form it will take in your paintings?

I first included the sun in my paintings due to an incident in which I was staring at the sun while painting, and when I looked back at the canvas, I saw a black spot that moved as my eyes moved. I painted it in the sky, as the sun. Since that time, I have included suns in all of my paintings — initially black, but for many years now, they are more abstract and colorful. The sun is part of the composition of each painting. It gives light to the foreground and also contributes to the feeling of the painting.

How has your work changed/evolved over the years? 

My style has evolved over time: I went through a period of surrealism, but I think my work now includes elements of expressionism, colorism, abstraction and impressionism. It is a mature style, my style, evolved over 55 years. Developing one’s own style, for an artist, is one of the hardest things to do. 

At 75, I paint as much as I did at 50, and more than I did at 30, because I am much better at it now! The inspiration never ceases. My head is full of paintings, and my plan is to paint as many of them as I can.

You’ve visited Savannah several times in the past — what do you enjoy doing when you’re in town? 

I have been coming to Savannah since Richard Kessler opened the Mansion on Forsyth Park in 2005. While I visit other cities in the Southeast, it is in Savannah that people stop me in the street to speak to me, to tell me that they remember me from a previous exhibition or that they worked at the hotel. I walk for miles through the city, exploring the squares and the waterfront.

This exhibition features new work that has never been featured in Savannah. What can attendees look forward to when they see your new paintings?

My new paintings, like all of my paintings, are pages in my diary. They show what I experienced on that day. In Savannah, there are new paintings of the town of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie in France, and also of Taillebourg, but I also included a field of red poppies that I found one day not far from my house.

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Jean Claude Roy’s latest paintings will be featured at Grand Bohemian Gallery at Plant Riverside District, located at 400 W. River Street, throughout the month of November. In conjunction with the exhibit, the gallery will host an exclusive Artist Reception and Private Meet and Greet with Jean Claude Roy on Monday, November 6 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. For additional information, please visit plantriverside.com.