Cloud Paintings

“...​clouds are for dreamers and their contemplation benefits the soul​” (from the Manifesto of The Cloud Appreciation Society)

I have always been an ardent cloud admirer. I have lived in California under
the monotonous stare of a flat blue sky and much prefer the luminous cloud-filled skies of New England. They are more closely aligned with my temperament. This group of paintings reflects my attempt to capture the silent drama of the atmosphere in which the shapes, colors, and textures of clouds float and shift in varied and unexpected ways.

Attempting to strike a balance between accident and intent, I set out to capture the mood of the sky as experienced at a particular time of day, working directly from nature and usually in places where sky meets water, allowing the physical sensations of the day (wind, temperature, light and shadow) to influence the painting. I find that the medium of watercolor, which is fluid and time sensitive, is especially well suited to capturing the ephemeral nature of clouds. In these compositions I have deliberately omitted any reference to the ground below, allowing the clouds themselves to take center stage.

Born in Bremerhaven, Germany in 1961, Jennifer Becker is a painter and graphic artist who lives and works in Providence, Rhode Island. After completing her BFA from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1985, she earned a Certificate of Advanced Study in Painting and Printmaking, also from UCSC, in 1986. Jennifer worked as a learning specialist for twenty-five years while raising a family in Providence. Since 2016, she has devoted herself to painting and drawing full time.

Becker is inspired by the natural world and is especially interested in places where human infrastructure overlaps or interferes with it. After years of teaching students who think and learn in atypical ways, she is also fascinated by the endlessly strange human brain. A traditionalist at heart, Becker challenges herself to work from life or memory.