The Art Docents of Los Gatos were treated to a demo by Dallas artist, Jennifer Lashbrook and her “Swatch Paintings” at JCO’s Place on Friday. Lashbrook creates collages using paint swatches that she gets by the forklift load and through an extensive process of sorting by value and hue builds a palette for her pixelated images, squares of color fixed with rubber cement and clear acrylic onto gridded panels. This series at JCO’s were all famous, recognizable images from art history and part of the fun is the process of recognition, but she also does landscapes and portraits which can be seen on her website .

Owner of Jco’s, Julie Jenkins greeting the Docents.

Jennifer Lashbrook walked us through her exacting  process.

Girl with a Pearl Earring  (Vermeer)  – 36 x 36 – paint swatch (paper)

Paint swatch sample names can be playful, and witty and very literal, the pearl earring is actually “pearl”.

Frida with begonias – 48 x 35 – paint swatch (paper)

Quickly scanning a Frieda, I find “Adobe Straw”.

Marilyn (Andy Warhol)  – 36 x 36 – paint swatch (paper) detail, I wonder what her swatches say?

Julie Jenkins atop a ladder catching the Docents on their phones… Up close these pixelated collages dissolve into a grid of colored squares, the analytical brain clicks in, categorizing the material and reading the chips. The more distance you can create between yourself and the piece, the more the image resolves before your eyes.  Your spatial, arty brain clicks in and starts seeing the big picture, “connecting the dots” and filling in the blanks. The same effect can be achieved by squinting or looking through your smart phone. Super fun!