Northern Blue Flag
Iris versicolor
watercolour
Northern Pitcher Plant
Sarracenia purpurea
watercolour
Rochelle Neal
Personal: Rochelle grew up in Mindemoya on Manitoulin Island. She attended the University of Western Ontario, where she met her husband Wayne. For the past forty-five years they have lived in St. Thomas, Ontario, and summered on the Island. She has an art studio on Lake Mindemoya and is a popular Island artist.
Art Background: Rochelle’s fascination with nature and art began as a child. She has sketched all her life. Ever since she can remember, she has trekked the woods and roadsides, studying the wildlife, flora and unusual fauna of Manitoulin Island. In Elgin County, the ravines, trails and woods offered her many subjects for study and artistic reflection. In 1996 she discovered watercolours and now her talent borders on obsession. Since then Rochelle has taken a number of short watercolour workshops but mostly paints as a self-learner. During the past year she has been painting botanicals and reading every book she can about botanical art. She has not had the privilege of taking a course in this field yet.
Art Shows and Awards: Rochelle’s work is presently handled by Perivale Gallery on Manitoulin Island as well as in her own Periwinkle Studio on Lake Mindemoya. Her art has been shown in the juried art shows of the Lambeth Art Association, La Cloche Art and the Northern Ontario Artists Association exhibitions. She also displays her art in the Manitoulin Art Tour and Robert Long Watercolour shows in Destin, Florida. In 1999 Rochelle was the “Featured Watercolour Artist” at the St. Thomas Appreciation of the Arts. She is the recipient of several awards.
Artist Statement of Rochelle Neal: The beauty of the natural world fascinates me. I use vibrant watercolour and clarity of line to capture a specific moment in time in realistic detail.
Occasionally, I use ink to bring in more definition. Viewing nature’s objects from a micro-element aspect has always been my passion. Painting what comes into my heart, my main topics are the beautiful things in our natural world or the rustic things from the past.
Complex patterns intrigue me. It could be the intertwining of branches, leaves and stems or the layering of rock upon rock or petal upon petal.
Capturing the interplay of light, shadow and texture of my subject becomes my focus. Nature’s world is so fleeting and the modern world is so complicated and busy that people do not take the time to really look at these special things. It is this very close-up view of texture, patterns of shape and form and the contrast of depth and colour that I strive to capture. I want my viewers to share visually and emotionally what I saw and felt when a precious moment in time touched me.
Rochelle can be reached at rochellesart[at]sympatico.ca.