Ochre with Violet

About Ochre with Violet

This abstract, floral, still-life oil painting was created by Jennifer Hornyak.

Highly regarded as one of Canada’s finest contemporary artists, Jennifer Hornyak has been painting for more than four decades. Her uniquely beautiful floral series lay somewhere between figuration and abstraction in form. Hornyak’s colour palette, while inspired by Fauvist masters, is distinctly her own—this floral bouquet in violet, turquoise and green sits in a bright ochre vase. The backdrop of deep green/blue adds dynamic contrast. Hornyak’s brushwork is expressive, and her paintings are layered—a technique that adds visual texture.
Each painting usually begins with a sketch. Often Jennifer Hornyak then experiments with acrylics as a foundation for the oil painting that follows. In the past few years, much of her art has explored floral themes. But for Hornyak flowers are not ‘just flowers’—they are metaphors for life.

“We cannot reproduce nature, nor should we want to. All we can do is see and feel and aim to transcend ourselves.” Jennifer Hornyak

Jennifer Hornyak studied at the Grimsby School of Art in England. In 1961, she moved to Montreal where she attended McGill University, the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal and the Centre Saidye Bronfman.
Hornyak has exhibited throughout North America and Europe including the Paris World Exhibition in 1987 where her work was shown alongside that of Modigliani, Picasso and van Dongen. Hornyak’s work is represented in many private and corporate collections including Bombardier Transport, Burroughs Wellcome, McCarthy Tétrault, Power Corporation and Hyatt Regency Hotel.