No Bitter Without The Sweet; No Sweet Without The Bitter

"Bitter/Sweet" is my art installation created for "ARTeriors at The James" and inspired by the former James Candy Company on the iconic Atlantic City Boardwalk. The concept explores the duality of two opposing forces in an immersive experience featuring found and repurposed confectionery materials. The aesthetic is a push and pull between the bold/expressive BITTER and the soft/ethereal SWEET.

As you move through the space, I invite you to notice the found materials that have been given a second life, such as...

“Wall paper” made from store wrapping paper; 
Wicker chairs revamped into my version of “peacock chairs”; 
Baker’s racks used as “moveable frames” for cellophane paintings;
Metal sheet pans now “canvases” for the portrait paintings;
James candy sign turned into a “stencil” for floor painting;
Candy box “mobiles” suspended from the ceiling.

In creating this space, I’ve pushed outside my boundaries to explore new materials, process, application, and unique ways of visual storytelling.

Allowing yourself to consider… where SWEET and BITTER converge.

Chanelle René

@beingchanellerene | chanellerene.com

Chanelle René is an award-winning, New Jersey contemporary figurative painter and mural artist. Her use of vibrant colors and painterly brushstrokes in oils and mixed media often celebrate the feminine figure to create narrative and engaging works from original canvases to large-scale murals. Chanelle has exhibited nationally and internationally with works held in private and public collections. A self-taught artist, she embraced the ‘pandemic pause’ to transition from a 20+ year career in digital marketing to become a full-time artist. A true believer that anyone can ‘shine your vibe’ at any stage of life, Chanelle’s artwork embodies endless possibilities.