"Cold Feet" - Photographs of J.J. L'Heureux

Photographer Gets "Cold Feet"

New Show at G2 Gallery Examines Arctic Photos through the Eyes of a Painter

J.J. L’Heureux is an accomplished abstract painter, collage artist, world traveler, environmental lecturer, published author and certified docent at the San Francisco Zoo. On February 17, 2009, J.J. L’Heureux displays another facet of her gifted repertoire, environmental photographer, as she opens Cold Feet, her new exhibit at the G2 gallery.L’Heureux takes an intimate look at a single region, Antarctica, and specifically one family of imperiled creature, the Penguin, providing insight into the lives of penguins through her photos and observations. L’Heureux explains the body of work:

"These photographs are intended to be a series by themselves. I like that the photographs convey an entirely different sense of the spirit of Antarctica, the wind and the cold than that of my paintings. I also like myself as cameraperson who had to exercise patience and direct involvement in taking the photos. It is a chore to tote the gear over miles of ice and set-up to take a family portrait of Emperor penguins in a place nearly never visited by people. Except for the sounds of the rookeries and the wind, there is a complete absence of industrial sound. Photographs lack sound or any suggestion of it. It is as if each scene has been encapsulated and frozen in crystal pure ice."

The show follows J.J. L’Heureux’s seventh trip to Antarctica, this time returning from New Zealand’s Sub Antarctic Islands.

Incapacitated by rheumatoid arthritis at an early age L’Heureux moved to New York and began to educate herself by reading books and visiting museums while seeking a cure for her condition. The result of these studies was the conclusion that she could make a living creating art. The subsequent years found L’Heureux’s moving to the west coast to develop her artistic talents. Becoming a docent for the San Francisco Zoo led to her traveling to Africa, South America, Galapagos Islands and North America to study the animals in their natural habitats.
J.J’s many credentials include attending the San Francisco Art Institute, The Parsons School of Design and a year’s course studying with the San Francisco Zoological Society.