J'anna Jacqulyn

Let’s imagine you have seen my work and you liked it (or not).  You decided to come for a visit. You have questions. You have always wanted to know the process behind creating a work of art. You knock on my door, I greet you, invite you in and offer you a cup of tea with a low carb cookie.

I am pleased you have come to talk about art – to share what inspires artists. I tell you that Art is a friend, a faithful companion who shows me things I might not discover otherwise.   It manifests in more than a canvas, paper or any other chosen surface. Art feels, it is alive. It is with us now, sharing this conversation.

Along the way, life juxtaposed art. Always beaconing, desiring my attention until I entered a more serious relationship with it. Like all relationships, it requires a myriad of responses: frustration,  ecstasy to simple acceptance. In my opinion, art isn’t good or bad – there is no goal, only process – a process that has travelled with me all over Canada, the US and Mexico.  It has even taken me on a couple of trips to Southern France.

Since birth, I was surrounded by music, dance, theatre and paintings. All gave me a strong foundation for my own artistic expression. However, it wasn’t until 1970 when I moved from Montreal, Quebec to Halifax, Nova Scotia that I became a serious artist. Since then I have continuously worked to improve my skills with the assistance of such painters as Ruth Wainwright, Charlie Cooper and Zoltan Zabo, Tony Van Haslett and Charles Gruppe. In 1994, I received a BFA from The Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.

Every work of art is meaningful in some way. Paintings express an essential part of who I am. They are touchstones that awaken the creative right brain. Skill and knowledge has taught me to respect the relationship between me, my painting and the larger part of myself that directs my inner compass.​