• Artworks
    • Jacob Ouillette Ladder Dream #11, 2015 Oil on canvas 70 x 46 in. 177.8 x 116.8 cm.
      Jacob Ouillette
      Ladder Dream #11, 2015
      Oil on canvas
      70 x 46 in.
      177.8 x 116.8 cm.
      Inquire
    • Jacob Ouillette Vulcan's Forge, 2017 Oil on canvas 60 x 120 in. 152.4 x 304.8 cm.
      Jacob Ouillette
      Vulcan's Forge, 2017
      Oil on canvas
      60 x 120 in.
      152.4 x 304.8 cm.
      Inquire
    • Jacob Ouillette Pelion, 2017 Oil on canvas 66 x 33 in. 167.6 x 83.8 cm.
      Jacob Ouillette
      Pelion, 2017
      Oil on canvas
      66 x 33 in.
      167.6 x 83.8 cm.
      Inquire
    • Jacob Ouillette Melancholy, 2017 Oil on canvas 36 x 72 in. 91.4 x 182.9 cm.
      Jacob Ouillette
      Melancholy, 2017
      Oil on canvas
      36 x 72 in.
      91.4 x 182.9 cm.
      Inquire
    • Jacob Ouillette Phase Shift (diptych), 2018 Oil on linen 10 x 20 in. 25.4 x 50.8 cm.
      Jacob Ouillette
      Phase Shift (diptych), 2018
      Oil on linen
      10 x 20 in.
      25.4 x 50.8 cm.
      Inquire
    • Jacob Ouillette Either VIII, 2016 Pencil, pen, charcoal, marker, acrylic paint, spray paint, oil stick and watercolor on book pages on paper 30 1/8 x 22 1/4 in. 32 1/8 x 24 1/4 in. Framed
      Jacob Ouillette
      Either VIII, 2016
      Pencil, pen, charcoal, marker, acrylic paint, spray paint, oil stick and watercolor on book pages on paper
      30 1/8 x 22 1/4 in.
      32 1/8 x 24 1/4 in. Framed
      Inquire
    • Jacob Ouillette Either 2. V, 2016 Watercolor, pen, graphite, chalk pastel, acrylic paint, spray paint and oil stick on book pages on paper 36 1/2 x 29 in. 38 1/2 x 31 in. Framed
      Jacob Ouillette
      Either 2. V, 2016
      Watercolor, pen, graphite, chalk pastel, acrylic paint, spray paint and oil stick on book pages on paper
      36 1/2 x 29 in.
      38 1/2 x 31 in. Framed
      Inquire
    • Jacob Ouillette Either 2. VI, 2016 Watercolor, pen, graphite, chalk pastel, acrylic paint, spray paint and oil stick on book pages on paper 36 1/2 x 29 in. 38 1/2 x 31 in. Framed
      Jacob Ouillette
      Either 2. VI, 2016
      Watercolor, pen, graphite, chalk pastel, acrylic paint, spray paint and oil stick on book pages on paper
      36 1/2 x 29 in.
      38 1/2 x 31 in. Framed
      Inquire
    • Jacob Ouillette Either 2. VII, 2016 Watercolor, pen, graphite, chalk pastel, acrylic paint, spray paint and oil stick on book pages on paper 36 1/2 x 29 in. 38 1/2 x 31 in. Framed
      Jacob Ouillette
      Either 2. VII, 2016
      Watercolor, pen, graphite, chalk pastel, acrylic paint, spray paint and oil stick on book pages on paper
      36 1/2 x 29 in.
      38 1/2 x 31 in. Framed
      Inquire
    • Jacob Ouillette Either 2. VIII, 2016 Watercolor, pen, graphite, chalk pastel, acrylic paint, spray paint and oil stick on book pages on paper 36 1/2 x 29 in. 38 1/2 x 31 in. Framed
      Jacob Ouillette
      Either 2. VIII, 2016
      Watercolor, pen, graphite, chalk pastel, acrylic paint, spray paint and oil stick on book pages on paper
      36 1/2 x 29 in.
      38 1/2 x 31 in. Framed
      Inquire
    • Jacob Ouillette Seducers Diary 2 I, 2017 Pencil, pen, permanent marker, watercolor, charcoal, acrylic, spray paint and oil stick on book pages on paper 28 x 18 3/4 in. 30 x 20 in. Framed
      Jacob Ouillette
      Seducers Diary 2 I, 2017
      Pencil, pen, permanent marker, watercolor, charcoal, acrylic, spray paint and oil stick on book pages on paper
      28 x 18 3/4 in.
      30 x 20 in. Framed
      Inquire
    • Jacob Ouillette Seducers Diary 2 II, 2017 Pencil, pen, watercolor, charcoal, chalk pastel, acrylic and spray paint on book pages on paper 28 x 18 3/4 in. 30 x 20 in. Framed
      Jacob Ouillette
      Seducers Diary 2 II, 2017
      Pencil, pen, watercolor, charcoal, chalk pastel, acrylic and spray paint on book pages on paper
      28 x 18 3/4 in.
      30 x 20 in. Framed
      Inquire
    • Jacob Ouillette Seducers Diary 2 III, 2017 Pencil, pen, permanent marker, watercolor, charcoal, acrylic and spray paint on book pages on paper 28 x 18 3/4 in. 30 x 20 in. Framed
      Jacob Ouillette
      Seducers Diary 2 III, 2017
      Pencil, pen, permanent marker, watercolor, charcoal, acrylic and spray paint on book pages on paper
      28 x 18 3/4 in.
      30 x 20 in. Framed
      Inquire
    • Jacob Ouillette Seducers Diary 2 IV, 2017 Pencil, pen, permanent marker, watercolor, charcoal, chalk pastel, acrylic and spray paint on book pages on paper 28 x 18 3/4 in. 30 x 20 in. Framed
      Jacob Ouillette
      Seducers Diary 2 IV, 2017
      Pencil, pen, permanent marker, watercolor, charcoal, chalk pastel, acrylic and spray paint on book pages on paper
      28 x 18 3/4 in.
      30 x 20 in. Framed
      Inquire
    • Jacob Ouillette Seducers Diary 2 V, 2017 Pencil, pen, permanent marker, acrylic, spray paint and oil stick on book pages on paper 28 x 18 3/4 in. 30 x 20 in. Framed
      Jacob Ouillette
      Seducers Diary 2 V, 2017
      Pencil, pen, permanent marker, acrylic, spray paint and oil stick on book pages on paper
      28 x 18 3/4 in.
      30 x 20 in. Framed
      Inquire
    • Jacob Ouillette Seducers Diary 2 VI, 2017 Pencil, pen, permanent marker, watercolor, chalk pastel, acrylic, spray paint and oil stick on book pages on paper 28 x 18 3/4 in. 30 x 20 in. Framed
      Jacob Ouillette
      Seducers Diary 2 VI, 2017
      Pencil, pen, permanent marker, watercolor, chalk pastel, acrylic, spray paint and oil stick on book pages on paper
      28 x 18 3/4 in.
      30 x 20 in. Framed
      Inquire
    • Jacob Ouillette Seducers Diary 2 VII, 2017 Pencil, pen, permanent marker, watercolor, charcoal, acrylic, spray paint and oil stick on book pages on paper 28 x 18 3/4 in. 30 x 20 in. Framed
      Jacob Ouillette
      Seducers Diary 2 VII, 2017
      Pencil, pen, permanent marker, watercolor, charcoal, acrylic, spray paint and oil stick on book pages on paper
      28 x 18 3/4 in.
      30 x 20 in. Framed
      Inquire
    • Jacob Ouillette Seducers Diary 2 VIII, 2017 Pencil, pen, chalk pastel, acrylic and spray paint on book pages on paper 28 x 18 3/4 in. 30 x 20 in. Framed
      Jacob Ouillette
      Seducers Diary 2 VIII, 2017
      Pencil, pen, chalk pastel, acrylic and spray paint on book pages on paper
      28 x 18 3/4 in.
      30 x 20 in. Framed
      Inquire
    • Jacob Ouillette Seducers Diary 2 IX, 2017 Pencil, permanent marker, watercolor, acrylic and spray paint on book pages on paper 28 x 18 3/4 in. 30 x 20 in. Framed
      Jacob Ouillette
      Seducers Diary 2 IX, 2017
      Pencil, permanent marker, watercolor, acrylic and spray paint on book pages on paper
      28 x 18 3/4 in.
      30 x 20 in. Framed
      Inquire
  • Biography
    Jacob Ouillette

    Artist Jacob Ouillette likens his paintings to musical compositions: each brushstroke is a note, and the final painting is a musical score. Though separate, each note contributes to the whole. "The paintings are created almost as a live performance, one stroke, or note at a time, until the composition is complete," says Ouillette. "The sensory experience of music is something I strive to reproduce in painting."

    The artist uses a simple language of brushstrokes and color in his paintings. While previous works featured loosely gridded compositions of rectangles, circles, and curves, his recent work departs from such predetermined structures. Instead the brushstrokes respond to one another rather than to an overall scheme. "The brushstrokes wind around each other; they repel or repeat one another, mirror, follow or peel away," he says.

    Ouillette carefully orchestrates the colors' arrangement and frequency. "I am interested in the proportions of colors used," he says. "How many times do they appear in the composition? Are all the colors equal or not?" He also meticulously controls the colors' properties. Dissatisfied with commercially available paints, he mixes his own to achieve a unique palette of saturated colors.

    The artist's understanding of color is largely influenced by his upbringing in coastal Maine. "The awesomeness of the ocean and all of its weather, its atmosphere and light, taught me to contemplate the infinite shades of green and blue on the surface of the ocean and the ever-changing colors of the sky," he says.

  • CV

    Born 1974, Presque Isle, ME
    Lives and works in New York, NY
     
    EDUCATION

    BFA, Painting, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI

    SOLO EXHIBITIONS

    2021
    St. Dominic’s Preview & Double Philosopher, VSOP Projects, Greenport, NY
    2018
    Watercolor Paintings, NAVA Contemporary, New York, NY
    2017
    Jupiter Rising, Jim Kempner Fine Art, New York, NY
    2011
    Brushstroke Paintings, Nancy Margolis Gallery, New York, NY
    Brushstroke Paintings, The Remsenburg Academy, Remsenburg NY
    2010
    Recent Paintings, Dean Project, Long Island City, NY
    2009
    New Works, Buoy Gallery, Kittery, ME
    2008
    Painted Space: An Installation, Open Source, Brooklyn, NY

    GROUP EXHIBITIONS

    2024
    Self Portrait Thinking About Art, VSOP Projects, Greenport, NY
    2023
    Rotational invitational, Marquee Projects, Bellport, NY
    Mad Abstract, Jim Kempner Fine Art, New York, NY
    Pyramid Scheme, Bass & Reiner, San Francisco, CA
    2022
    Singing in Unison, Part 2, Curated by Phong H. Bui & Cal Mckeever, 447 Space, New York, NY
    Spring Group Show, Jim Kempner Fine Art, New York, NY
    A Million Little Pieces, VSOP Projects, Greenport, NY
    2021
    Atmospheres: The Pace staff show, Pace Gallery, New York, NY
    2018
    Cosmik Debris, VSOP Projects, Greenport, NY
    2017
    20 Years at 23rd and 10th, Jim Kemper Fine Art, New York, NY
    2014
    Local Abstraction, Peter Marcelle Project, Southampton, NY
    2012
    Gallery Artists, Nancy Margolis gallery, New York, NY
    2011
    Fresh!, Heriard-Cimino Gallery, New Orleans, LA
    Abiding Abstraction, Boltax Gallery, Shelter Island, NY
    Abstraction, Nancy Margolis Gallery, New York, NY
    2009
    Tina B, Prague contemporary art festival, Prague, Czech Republic
    2008
    Introduction: Future Dialogues, Dean Project, Long Island City, NY
    The Thrift Shop, Open Source, Brooklyn, NY
    Road Trip, George Marshall Store Gallery, York, ME

    FELLOWSHIPS

    2004
    Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Mt. San Angelo, VA
    2002
    William Flanagan Memorial Creative Persons Center, Edward F. Albee Foundation, Montauk,NY

    COLLECTIONS

    Mayer Brown LLP, New York, NY
    USC Keck Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

    BIBLIOGRAPHY

    Volpe, Gianna, Interview with Jacob Ouillette, Heart of the East End, NPR, WLIW 88.3 FM, March 2, 2021
    Taylor, David, Top Five East End Art Exhibitions: Feb 5-11, 2021, Dan’s Papers, February 5, 2021, https://www.danspapers.com/2021/02/top-5-east-end-art-exhibitions-feb-5/
    Garwood, Megan, Painter's Palette: Interview with Jacob Ouillette, On-Verge Alternative Art Criticism, Feb 16, 2012
    Graham, Margaret, Jacob Ouillette at Nancy Margolis, Art Criticism and Writing, Nov 23, 2011
    Landes, Jennifer, 'Local Abstraction' at Home, The East Hampton Star, Oct 21, 2014
    Rogers, Pat, Abstraction Abounds in The Hamptons: Part 1, Hamptons Art Hub, Oct 11, 2014
    Rogers, Pat, Brushstrokes of Color, Hamptons Art Hub, Sept 4, 2011

    Download Ouillette CV