Jacqueline Poirier or ‘The Crazy Plate Lady‘ as she’s popularly known caught the fancy of many when she won the first ever Art Battle Grand Champion, winning the title at Art Battle Sweet 16 in July of 2011, so much so that she went from being a server to the artist-in-residence at Ritz-Carlton in Toronto. Using charger plates instead of the traditional canvas as her medium, Jacqueline has painted everything from food to portraits to images of everyday items, with everything having one thing in common – their uncanny resemblance to the real thing!
Home Alone
Her plates greet guests at Ritz-Carlton’s signature restaurant TOCA when they’re seated and are whisked away before food arrives, leaving them wanting more. Possessing such a unique and quirky outlook on art, it’s no wonder that Jacqueline’s Instagram page ‘thecrazyplatelady‘ has over 87.5K+ followers. Left marveling (and salivating!) at her art pieces, The Yellow Sparrow, did a feature on her a couple of months back and got in touch with Jacqueline to know more about her art.
Using charger plates as canvas seems to be the definition of “thinking outside the box”. How exactly did you come up with this unique idea?
I enjoyed working with ceramics and porcelains early on in my education, but in addition to this I have actually always been drawn to the circle as a shape. I did my thesis on abstract forms and spheres in space, so the circle has always been a huge part of my inspiration. Plates lend themselves well for this!
Jacqueline Poirier at work
Your creations are known for being extremely realistic. How much time and effort goes into achieving that finished result?
It really depends on the complexity of the design, But typically most of my work takes at least 24 hours, start to finish, for completion and this includes glazing and baking. Every once in a while I will paint something very detailed and complex, so challenging pieces can take longer.
You’ve painted over 1500 plates since you started out back in 2011. How do you find more subjects for your paintings, without repeating the designs? What are your sources of inspiration?
I actually find that I have the opposite problem to repetition; it haunts me to imagine that there are so many incredible things to paint in the world and I will never have an opportunity to do it all! Just the other day, my Studio Manager and I were perusing the comments section of a “special requests” post that I put up on Instagram and were blown away by all the amazing suggestions! One of my favourites to date is “Amy Winehouse taking out the trash”! Can you imagine!? I can’t wait to paint it!
Morgan Freeman
From server to artist-‐in-‐residence at The Ritz, your story is inspiring to hear. How was the process of taking the leap for you? Was there a particular defining point when you had to make the career shift? Also, what would your advice be for artists who are just starting out?
Sometimes I still can’t believe that I have made it to this point and everyday I feel gratitude for the gift of being able to earn a living doing what I love! I think the moment it all became real was when I was first asked to paint the chargers for the restaurant and then saw them all in place at the table settings. It was a very satisfying moment of personal accomplishment! My best advice for artists starting out is to keep an open mind and stick with it!
Wall of ‘Plart’
What is the motivation behind your art? What is that inspires you to keep painting?
I love to paint both for myself and for others, I think this is a very important factor in my inspiration. I rarely feel like I am “working” when I am painting because it is something I enjoy so much. Even when I am painting something for someone that I probably wouldn’t have chosen to paint of my own accord, I still feel satisfied by the experience of creating something that will be special for someone else! I love it when people love what I paint for them; it keeps me at it!
As someone who’s created such beautiful and life‐like imagery on plates, have you ever felt limited by their size or the lack thereof?
I have had lots of experience in the past painting on a larger scale (canvases, walls, murals etc.), and I still do paint in this way sometimes for a change of pace. But I love to paint within the boundaries of a plate too, I never feel like my work would be better if it were bigger, maybe because I have grown used to the parameters of my mediums.
Audrey Hepburn
In your opinion, what do you think is the purpose of art? How does it contribute to the world at large?
Art is a limitless means of experiencing our world and the larger universe. It stimulates our intellects, senses, and emotions and allows us to feel beyond the everyday. Good art should transport us to an alternative perspective and challenge us to always reassess what is real.
You often make custom plates, what is the wackiest request you’ve ever gotten?
The wackiest request is probably the “Amy Winehouse taking out the trash” that I mentioned earlier, however I just finished some plates of Disney characters painted as Emojis which was really wacky and fun too!
Mike Tyson
Your paintings range from food to landscapes to images of everyday items to even celebrities! Which one of these do you feel is the most difficult to paint?
I recently painted 40 celebrity portraits to celebrate 40 years of the Toronto International Film Festival and this was a very challenging project to undertake. I feel that it made me a better painter, technically, because I spent over 180 hours painting likenesses.
What is your favourite subject to capture onto the plates?
I don’t have one particular subject that I prefer to capture, but I love to paint food! I think it is a mix of my love for all things edible, and also the subject matter is so fitting!
Waffles!
In the future, do you have any plans to move onto some other style of art or have you found your home?
I try and live in the moment as much as possible and right now I really love painting on plates! But who knows what the future might bring! I am excited to find out for myself and I’ll keep you posted!
You recently painted custom plates for the Toronto International Film Festival. Any other exciting projects in the line up?
I think that my team and I are going to start to run monthly request competitions through social media, so I think that there will be some pretty wacky and challenging requests to come! I love the idea of engaging my supporters, it makes what I do that much more fun!
Pancakes
Who are some of your favourite artists? Also, tell us about 3 artists you would recommend The Yellow Sparrow to interview.
One of my favourite famous artists is Salvatore Dali. I have always been drawn to his use of colour, depth and shadow. On Instagram I love artist Elle Wills, she created hyper-‐realistic art that I find really inspiring! Finally, I have a lot of respect and admiration for Toronto based artists Keita Morimoto, Tyler Armstrong and Zara Diniz; you should interview them for The Yellow Sparrow for sure so that everyone can see how talented they are!
Burger
Amazed and completely bowled over by the artwork and Jacqueline’s sheer talent, aren’t you? So are we! If you wish you can own one of these beautiful plates too! Just head on over to Jacqueline’s website to place your order.
