R. JEAN VALLIERES

John (R. Jean) Vallieres creations demonstrate mastery of medium, convey meaning, immediacy and depth. The value of his canvases is their capacity to strike both personal and universal chords, appealing to emotion, memory, imagination and feelings. Each image arouses the viewer on a conscious and subconscious level, leaving new impressions and discoveries to be uncovered with each return viewing. Each canvas is intended to stand the test of time and be appreciated over many generations.
A native of New England, John began his portrait painting career at the age of thirteen in the basement of his parent's home in Woonsocket, RI, a mill town located along the Blackstone River. He refined his skills during long nights spent at the Rhode Island School of Design and the University of West Hartford, while obtaining his BA degree at Providence College, his Masters at the University of Connecticut and post graduate studies at Harvard. Following his formal education, he traveled to Europe to study the Great Masters first hand at the National Gallery in London, Le Musee de Louvre in Paris and additional acclaimed museums throughout the US and Europe.
Amazingly proficient in his detail, structure and composition, John has the unique ability to go beyond the mechanics and breathe life and soul into his subjects. His canvases draw the eye and penetrate the heart, transfixing the viewer in a manner that almost dares one to look away. Mr. Vallieres describes his approach as "imaginative curiosity" and his style as a balance of "European Neoclassical" and new "American Realism".

Mr. Vallieres' works have been acquired in such prestigious venues as The Basilica of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception and St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Christ Church and the Downpatrick Cathedral in Ireland, Saint Paul's, Trinity Cathedral and the Frick Museum in Pittsburgh, PA., the Merrick Art Museum in New Brighton, PA, Andover Library, MA, The DuPont Winterthur Museum in DE and countless private and corporate collections in the United States and abroad.
In conjunction with the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, he is currently completing a benchmark series of original canvases inspired from photographs of American workers taken during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The series is slated for acquisition by one of the world's leading art authorities and institutions in 2006.
Following a 26 year career in the high-tech industry, John now resides in western Pennsylvania and devotes his full time to painting, which he pursues with an exhausting passion.