JAQ CHARTIER ‘Mutable Paintings’ @ Elizabeth Leach Gallery [PDX]

I woke up early & stumbled across these pieces from Jaq Chartier‘s upcoming solo exhibition, ‘Mutable Paintings‘ opening at Portland‘s Elizabeth Leach Gallery on December 4th. In a daze like I am in, Chartier‘s work particularly mesmerizes & thrives.

The Seattle-based artist is known for her ‘Testing’ series of which this work is a continuation. ‘Testing’ was born from and remains a series of tests utilizing inks, dyes, stains, and paints in experimentation of both scientific and artistic nature. The materials employed, which have extended to more unorthodox sources like fabric dye, are applied and observed as a form of sample board. The pigments are applied with the intention of allowing them to spread, fade, and mutate so their natural reaction can be observed as both a final product and documentation of the process itself. The result is work that presents as structured and calculated yet vibrant and alive.

Splitting the difference between the focused intention of scientific method and unrestrained artistic expression, Chartier‘s work demonstrates where the two seemingly conflicting approaches overlap. It’s a blend of discipline and relinquishing control to chance and the materials themselves. It’s a representation of structure & formlessness, applying basic guardrails and direction without being too precious or suffocating for the work to sit up and breathe. If you want to sound especially pretentious as I’m willing to risk in my sleepless fog, then one could claim that the concept of tumbling free and unattached through loose parameters could be a metaphor for human existence itself.

These are petri dishes with worlds inside. Microscope meeting kaleidoscope. There’s a psychedelic nostalgia regularly expressed in the fading, blurring, muting, and blending of colors. The work feels of another time, yet dimensionless. These paintings would blend flawlessly into an MCM/retro-futuristm aesthetic. Ultimately, it’s art and exists to engage with.

I like considering where, how, & if the concepts of cosmonaut, artist, & scientist collide. In a way, it doesn’t get much more honest and direct than announcing, “I explored some things. Here’s what I came away with.“

The gallery offers the following insight:

“Mutable Paintings extends Jaq Chartier’s Testing series into fresh territory. Cube forms and shifting marks interact like tiny worlds in motion, where chance and variation shape what emerges. The ink itself records both Chartier’s gestures and its own unpredictable responses. The work comes from questioning her own rules, testing their edges, and noticing what unfolds, letting each painting suggest the next.“

Check out a couple more preview images for the exhibition below the following event details…

WHAT:

MUTABLE PAINTINGS
Solo exhibition by Jaq Chartier

WHEN:

Friday, December 4th, 2025 – Saturday, January 10th, 2026

WHERE:

Elizabeth Leach Gallery
417 NW 9th Ave. 
Portland, OR  97209
(503(-224-0521

ADDITIONAL INFO:

Gallery hours:
Tuesday – Saturday: 10:30am – 5:30pm
or by appointment