Growing up in Saskatchewan, Jennifer always had a love of the outdoors. After finishing school she moved to the West Coast of British Columbia to pursue her love of skiing and the mountains.
After meeting her husband, Mark in Whistler, they began a series of adventures that brought them to various mountain resort communities in North America. It was in Summit County, Colorado, that Jennifer first decided to pick up a paint brush. “I have always been interested in anything creative - making jewelry, sewing, baking and ceramics to name a few. I have continually had an underlying urge to craft things.” After some formative art classes with children's book illustrator Kate Kiesler, Jennifer was hooked.
Since that time Jennifer has continued to evolve her style. Working in acrylic paints, she focuses on the graphic nature of the outside world. Line, shape and colour are all major components in her work. Creating simpler forms from what she sees, joyous riots of colour reach across her canvases. “I love the tactile experience of painting. It is so immediate and rewarding. It is a very intuitive process for me. There is something completely satisfying about spreading candy coloured, rich, buttery paint across a fresh canvas.” Jennifer is primarily a self-taught artist, who has relied on workshops and occasional classes for her education.
Jennifer also lived in the British Columbia interior, straddled between the Purcell and Rocky Mountains, before settling in her current home in the Georgian Bay region of Ontario. Living in these various locations has given her an appreciation of both the wide-open spaces that the prairies and large bodies of water provide, along with the exhilarating vistas of the mountains. She uses these inspirations when painting her landscapes.
She resides in Ontario with her husband, teenage son, and puppy.
Artist Statement
Mine is a graphic take on life. Through the relative chaos, I find the design in nature and dance with it on canvas. Using line and simplifying what I see, I look for interesting shapes and colours, and explore the spaces in between. Rhythm is found, and exaggerated. With an upbeat palette and a bit of whimsy for good measure, I capture the Canadian landscape in acrylic paint on canvas.