Jeune homme au gilet (Young Man in a Vest), mixed media on canvas

Richly textured mixed media artwork by Nicole Payette, signed lower left, dated 1998 and titled to the gallery label verso, presenting a stylized portrait of a young man in a vest. Rendered on a narrow, vertically oriented canvas, the composition blends earthy ochres, deep reds, and flashes of cobalt and yellow. The figure, shown in profile, emerges partially from an abstracted background that is heavily layered, almost sculptural in its surface treatment. The face and vest are faintly defined through expressive lines and tonal contrasts, while the rest of the canvas pulses with organic reliefs, painterly smears, and embedded material textures that give the work a tactile, weathered quality. The ambiguous expression and fragmented form evoke a sense of memory or reverie, wonderful!

18 1/2” x 12 1/2”