Jaq Chartier's paintings explore scientific methods through experimentation with paint and process. All of her works are "tests" to discover something about materials and what they do. Inspired in part by images of DNA gel electrophoresis, Chartier investigates the migration of various stains through layers of paint and acrylic gels.

Paintings such as, Kilz vs. BIN (2001), 4 Reactions (2002), and Sun Test: 40 Whites (2004) – titles that attest to such experimentation – feature intimate views of materials as they react to each other, to light, and to the passage of time, including notes written directly on the paintings. Through experimentation, observation, and notation, Chartier creates sensuous paintings that provide commentary on both the visual culture and everyday practice of scientific investigation by highlighting similarities between artistic and scientific practice.

Chartier has recently received a 4Culture Special Projects Grant, an Artist Trust/Washington State Arts Commission Fellowship, and a PONCHO Special Recognition Award from the Seattle Art Museum's Betty Bowan Committee. She was also a 2004 Creative Capital Grant finalist, and a Joan Mitchell Foundation Award nomineein 2001. Her work was featured on the first Foo Fighters CD in 1995, and in the acclaimed travelling exhibition Gene(sis): Contemporary Art Explores Human Genomics.
Jaq Chartier
Education
1994 MFA, painting, University of Washington, Seattle
1984 BFA, painting (Cum Laude), University of Massachusetts, Amherst
1980-81 Syracuse University, NY
 
Solo Exhibitions
2008 Haines Gallery, San Francisco
Elizabeth Leach, Portland
2007 Schroeder Romero, NY
2006 University of Michigan, Institute for the Humanities, Ann Arbor
Platform, Seattle
2005 LIMN Gallery, San Francisco
Elizabeth Leach, Portland
2004 Schroeder Romero, Brooklyn
LIMN Gallery, San Francisco
2003 Schroeder Romero, Brooklyn
William Traver Gallery, Tacoma, WA
2002 Frumkin/Duval, Santa Monica
LIMN, San Francisco
Cervini Haas Gallery, Scottsdale
2001 William Traver Gallery, Seattle,
Momus Gallery, Atlanta
2000 Cervini Haas Gallery, Scottsdale
1998 William Traver Gallery, Seattle (also 1997, 1996, 1995)
1997 Laura Russo Gallery, Portland
 
Selected Group Exhibitions
2008 "Genesis – Die Kunst der Schöpfung (The Art of Creation)," Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern, Switzerland. Catalog.
2007 "Diagnose [Art]: Contemporary Art Reflecting Medicine," Museum im Kulturspeicher, Würzburg, Germany. Catalog.
"Human Nature II: Future Worlds," SoFA Gallery, Indiana University, Bloomington. Catalog.
2006 "Diagnose [Art]: Contemporary Art Reflecting Medicine," Kunst-Museum Ahlen, Germany. Catalog.
"Potentially Mighty," p|m Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2005 "Head Over Hand: pushing the limits of paint," Denise Bibro, NY
"5 Painters," Platform, Seattle
2002 "Gene(sis): Contemporary Art Explores Human Genomics," Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle. Travels through 2004: Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive, University of California, Berkeley; Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Mary & Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
2000 "4x4: Four Decades of School of Art Alumni," Jacob Lawrence Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle
1999 "Pacific Northwest Annual," Bellevue Art Museum, WA (also 1998, 1997, 1994)
1998 "Hands On Color," Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA
"Pattern," Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Portland, OR
1997 "They Came Here First!" Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first sighting of the modern flying saucer, CoCA (Center on Comtemp. Art), and Bumbershoot Arts Festival, Seattle
"Drawings...A Bi-Coastal Invitational," Meyerson & Nowinski , Seattle
1996 "Combined Talents," Museum of Fine Arts of Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL. Catalog.
"Artists Council Exhibition," Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, CA
1995 "September Competition," Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, LA. Catalog.
1993 "Faber Birren Color Award Show," Stamford Art Association, Stamford, CT. Fred Kraus Memorial Award.
 
Awards
2006 Neddy Fellowship Award nominee, Behnke Foundation, Seattle (also 2005, 1999)
2004 Special Projects Grant, 4Culture (Cultural Development Authority of King County), Seattle
Visual Arts Grant finalist, Creative Capital Foundation, NY
2003 Purchase Award - Portable Works Collection, City of Seattle, Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs
2002 Artist Trust/Washington State Arts Commission Fellowship, Seattle
2001 PONCHO Special Recognition Award, administered by the Betty Bowan Award Committee, Seattle Art Museum
Joan Mitchell Foundation Award nominee, NY
1999 Artist Trust GAP Grant (Grant for Artists' Projects), Seattle
Centrum Residency, Port Townsend, WA
 
Collections
Amgen, Seattle
Chambers Hotel, NY
City of Seattle, Portable Works Collection
Microsoft
The Progressive Art Collection
Rosetta Inpharmatics
Swedish Medical Center
Tacoma Art Museum, WA
USAA
  
Selected Bibliography (read reviews)
2008 Genesis – Die Kunst der Schöpfung (The Art of Creation), catalog for the exhibition, Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern, Switzerland, p. 29, (reproduction).
2007 Human Nature, catalog for the exhibition, SoFA Gallery, Indiana Univ. Bloomington, p. 63, (reproduction).
2006 Cantu, John Carlos, "Disintegration at the core...," Ann Arbor News, 2/5/06, p. C2, (reproduction).
Diagnose [Kunst], catalog for the exhibition, Kunstmuseum Ahlen, Germany, p. 133, (reproduction).
Faigin, Gary. "Jaq Chartier at Platform Gallery," artdish.com, 9/23/06, (reproduction).
Grant, Adriana. "Ink that makes you think," Seattle Weekly, 10/4/06, (reproduction).
Graves, Jen. "Profanity, Testing, Explosion," The Stranger, 9/14/06, (reproduction).
Hackett, Regina. "Jaq Chartier breaks down decay...," Seattle P.I., 9/8/06, p. 29, (reproduction).
Hackett, Regina. "Serial in Seattle," Visual Codec, March, (reproduction).
Scott, Carrie E.A., "State of the Art," Seattle Magazine, June, pp. 123-125, (reproduction).
Neddy Artist Fellowship, catalog for the exhibition, Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA.
'Testing' by Jaq Chartier, catalog for the exhibition, Institute for the Humanities, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
2005 Engelson, Andrew. "Visual Arts Pick: Five Painters," Seattle Weekly, 7/13/05.
Kangas, Matthew. "Abstraction and revelations," Seattle Times, 7/8/05.
Koplos, Janet. “Report from Seattle: Plugged In and Caffeinated,” Art in America, September, p.69, (reproduction).
Neddy Artist Fellowship, catalog for exhibition, Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA.
New American Paintings. Vol. 61. Pacific West Coast edition. Needham Heights, Mass.: Open Studios Press, pp. 30-33.
Perry, Vicky. Abstract Painting Concepts and Techniques, New York: Watson-Guptill. Reproduction p. 125.
I. Kunst aus dem Labor: Zum Verhältnis von Kunst und Wissenschaft im Zeitalter der Technoscience. Austria: Springer WienNewYork. Reproductions on book cover and pp. 225-229.
Wiggin, Ashley. “The Art of Science,” Seattle Magazine, May, 2004, p. 30, (reproduction).
2004 Berry, Colin. "Jaq Chartier and Elizabeth Scheidl at LIMN Gallery," Artweek, June, pp. 12-13, (reproduction).
Baker, Kenneth, "Art grapples with science and politics," San Francisco Chronicle, 3/27/04, p. E-1, (reproduction).
Jaq Chartier, Testing. Seattle: Marquand Books
Maine, Stephen, "Dateline Brooklyn," Artnet.com, 9/30/04, (reproduction).
Pepper, Keane A. "The October Art Crawl," FREEwilliamsburg.com, October.
Shaviro, Steven, "Genetic Disorder," Artforum, Januray, 2004, p. 42, (reproduction).
Stillman, Nick, "Jaq Chartier: Sun Tests at Schroeder Romero," MinusSpace.com, November, (reproductions).
2003 Bullis, Douglas. 100 Artists of the West Coast. Atglen, PA.: Schiffer Books, pp. 172-173.
Conner, Jill. "Jaq Chartier: Testing," Contemporary, issue 53/54, p. 117-118, (reproduction).
Lovejoy, Bess. "Weird Science: Art and Chemistry Collide in the Lab of Jaq Chartier," Resonance, issue #38, p. 32-33, (reproductions).
Pepper, Keane A. "The April Crawl," FREEwilliamsburg.com, April, 2003.
2002 DeVuono, Frances. " 'Gene(sis)' at the Henry Art Gallery," Artweek, July/Aug 2002, p. 22.
Engelson, Andrew. ?Dot Matrix: Jaq Chartier smears the line between art and science with her DNA-inspired blobs," Seattle Weekly, 3/28/02, p. 63, (reproduction).
Failing, Patricia. "Seizing the Moment," ARTnews, march, jp. 76.
Hackett, Regina. "Messing with Mother Nature," Seattle P-I, April 6, p. E-1.
Hall, Emily. "Haunted Houses," The Stranger, April 4, p. 30.
Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly. Bioethics and the Book of Life. New York: Thirteen/WNET. Reproduction on video box and booklet covers.
Roth, Charlene. "Jaq Chartier and Amy Ellingson at Frumkin/Duval Gallery," Artweek, March, 2002, p. 17-18, (reproduction).
Staiger, Alex. "At the Crossroads where Science and Art Meet," Art Access, May, pp. 10-11., (reproduction).
Uehling, Mark D. "Designer Genes on Display," bio-itworld.com, 6/2/02.
Welles, Elenore. "Amy Ellingson and Jaq Chartier," ArtScene (preview), January, 2002, p. 12-13, (reproduction).
2001 Cullum, Jerry. "Seductive changes," Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 12/28/01.
New American Paintings, Vol. 31, Pacific West Coast edition. Needham Heights, MA: Open Studio Press. (also 1997, Vol. 13)
Westbrook, Lindsey. "Theory or Faith," San Francisco Bay Guardian, 8/15/01.
1998 Farr, Sheila. "Hands on Color at BAM...," Seattle Times, 11/17/98, p. E1.
Hackett, Regina. "Color hits the big time...," Seattle P-I, 11/27/98.
McTaggart, Tom. "Leaving a paper trail," Seattle Weekly, 8/20/98, p. 32, (reproduction).
1997 Burkman, Greg. "Digging in Deeper," Art Access (Seattle), 3/97.
Farr, Sheila. "Drawing on inspiration," Seattle Weekly, 7/16/97, p.33.
Knode, Marilu. "Dehesive," Aorta (Seattle), Summer-1997, p. 14.
McTaggart, Tom. "Biology Lessons," The Stranger (Seattle), 5/22/97, p. 56, (reproduction).
Smith, Cary. "Intergalactic Interpretations," News Tribune (Seattle), 7/6/97, p. F1.
Walker, Emily. "Loving the Aliens: UFO Art," The Daily of the Univ. of Washington, 6/2/97, p. 8.
1995 Foo Fighters, Capitol Records/Roswell Records. Reproduction on CD booklet, record album cover, and cassette J-card.