There’s a new fresh look to Grandview Market’s Florida Room, the multi-purpose living room-like communal art space.
Billowing white curtains line the walls, framing a new exhibit of wildly colorful abstract work by local artist Jacqueline Bouet. Visitors can view Bouet’s artwork inside the food hall’s velvet sofa and dining table-filled Florida Room through Sunday, July 4.
“Gypsy Life Surf Shop recently sponsored a very successful art exhibit from Taylor Slater, and we wanted to follow that up with something of our own, “ said Joe Muniz, General Manager at Grandview Public Market. “We chose to highlight Bouet not only because she lives in Palm Beach County, but also because her vibrant artwork reflects on the dynamic lifestyle of the District, as well as sets the stage for the spring season.”
Bouet’s work is displayed in series, with four or five works each. Each has its own vibrant life, with colors that splash and explode, often running out the side of the frame. Some look like overviews of a beach scene with bright blues and gold or the series like a city skyline in the rain with streaky grays and silver. Abstract thick black lines snake across the canvas in a work flecked with gold. One series has sparkly bits of broken mirrors embedded in the paint and locked under layers of resin.
“I work in series to explore an idea as far as it can go. I’ll get inspired by a material or a color and then go from there,” she says on a tour of the show during a busy weekend in the Florida Room.
But the artist prefers not to comment on the intent.
“I had printed up wall labels explaining what each series was about but then I decided that there should be no wall label explanations, as I wanted the viewer to bring their own interpretation of the work.”
A native New Yorker, Bouet spent years building several businesses in the Big Apple.
“I have enjoyed a lucrative career as a creator/innovator of bath, body, and wellness brands/products for Fortune 500 beauty companies, working with some of the most respected individuals in the beauty industry,” she says. “In 2003, I switched gears to spend time with my young son while creating a dream business that would enable me to live and breathe music, dance, and art.”
Not one to do things small, she set out to create her dream studio.
“Tapping into the creative people I worked with in NYC, we designed and built a 6,000 sq. ft studio in a historic landmark building located on the Hudson River. The space was raw with steel beams, exposed brick, and cement walls. We kept the integrity of the natural surfaces and combined lots of colors to create a gorgeous space that embraced all who entered. “The Loft” was a multi-cultural dance/fitness/art studio that embraced dance and music from all cultures with art installations throughout. An amazing chapter in my life.”
When that chapter ended, she moved south and became a successful realtor. She had lots of artwork archived and word got out to a contact at Saks Fifth Avenue in Boca Raton who promptly offered her a show at the tony department store.
The 10th Annual Boca Ballroom Battle benefited The George Snow Scholarship Fund and featured a month-long installation of The JBArts Exhibit alongside some gorgeous gowns in 2017. The colors of the couture were matched to the paintings, showing the interplay between the two art forms.
She exhibited at the Wynwood Art Walk in 2019, pre-pandemic, with several works at the R House. She has also had work at the Petanque Kitchen & Bar in Northwood, a lively space with live music, a large outdoor patio, and art gallery space on the dining room walls.
A call to Grandview resulted in the current show that also found the room being reimagined as a dramatic white drapery-filled space with plants and new lighting. The artwork is displayed on leaning panels at intervals on the walls. The layout allows viewers to walk the perimeter of the big space and see the different series in spaced groupings.
“I actually don’t have a current dedicated studio right now,” she says. “I can work in my kitchen and dining room so that is good for now.”
Grandview Public Market’s guests will also be able to purchase Bouet’s items as keepsakes. For more information on the exhibit, visit grandviewpublic.com.
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The Medium is the Message in New Show by Jacqueline Bouet
