About

Mireille Duchesne Photo

About my path...

I was born and raised in Normandie, the province of France so loved by the Impressionists. The expansive skies, rolling fields, and gardens captured my heart, and I realized quite early that I was an artist. However, my conservative, traditional upbringing discredited women artists, so my passion went largely unnoticed until I moved out of my parents’ apartment in Le Havre.

As a young adult, I traveled the francophone world, living all over France and the western coast of sub-Saharan Africa before settling in the States. It is there that I was able to gain my independence and fully devote myself to painting.

My art through the eyes of others...

"The influence of her travels are apparent in Mireille’s paintings as she so often looks to landscape, and, particularly, skies. Her shifting environments have the ability to portray one’s internal state through light and composition. This is evident in her paintings, as the skies can seriously be considered as characters themselves, and those characters may change from viewer to viewer. Something similar can be said of her still-life paintings which pair novel items to share a narrative with the viewer, one which is, paradoxically, alive. In experimenting outside of her classical training, Mireille has been further developing her portrayal of the internal with color, composition, light, and movement. The impression is similar to that of her landscapes, yet electric. There is a more deliberate interrogation of the self at play on the canvas, one which differs slightly from her peacefully contemplative skies. Across all styles, her paintings urge the viewers to look inward."

Education

Art Student League, New York
2003-2006
Studied under Richard Pionk and Greg Kreutz

Independent Fellowship, New York
2006
Worked closely in the studio of Frank Arcuri for 6 months

Pastel Society of America, New York
2001-2004
Studied under Richard Pionk

Universite de Rouen, France
1964-1966
License Professionelle, Etudes Litteraires (Bachelor's in French Literature)

Ecole des Beaux Arts, France
1962-1964
Courses in charcoal, drawing, and gouache painting, composition, light, and movement.

Teaching Experience

Katonah Art Center | 2008-2022
Railyard Studios | 2021-2022
Mireille Duchesne Plein Air Workshop | 2019

Memberships and Affiliations

Salmagundi Club | 2006-2021
Hudson Valley Art Association | 2007-2011
American Artist Professional League | 2005-2010
Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club | 2008-2011
Pastel Society of America | 2004-2022

Awards

Pastel society of America | 2007 | House of Heydenryk award
The American artist professional league | 2008 | Leila Gardin SawyerMemorial  award
Salmagundi Club | 2008 | Harry Balinger memorial award
Salmagundi Club | 2009 | Allyn Schaeffer memorial award
Catharine Lorillard Wolfe art club | 2009 | Colonel George Morales memorial award

Jubilee painting by Mireille Duchesne

Jubilant

Poem inspired by a painting by Mireille Duchesne

Even earth and sea seem to celebrate
after a battle ends

The tang of salt air dominates
the leftover haze of smoke

Fire remains, debris still falls
but wind keeps the heat flowing east

along with the sound of bells
tolling to keep ships safe.

only heard are the laps of waves
from this deep reflective blue.

In the glowing morning sky
there it is --------the flag still waves

as Francis Scott Key so musically noted

Gwen Gunn , December 2015