I live in an old farmhouse on 50 acres in Prince Edward County, Ontario, with my husband, a dog, two cats, a bunch of egg-laying chickens, and an elderly male turkey. My passions are pretty close to home. I try to be a good steward of the land, and I'm an active member of the PEC Field Naturalists. In summer, our vegetables all come from our garden, and we raise organic meat chickens for ourselves and a few friends. My husband, Don, grows hops. Nature is often unkind to farmers, but we love what we do.
My other passion is making art, something I've been doing for thirty years.
I began with botanical illustration. At heart, I love detail and have a keen eye for it. I was a founding member of Botanical Artists of Canada. But the interest in disciplined realism was replaced by wanting to work in a more painterly style, which also involved switching out watercolour for acrylics and tiny brushes for large ones. Living here in the countryside, farm animals were an obvious subject for the new approach. I've included a few of those paintings this Archive. Another project was a series of sixty 6 by 6 images of the County's Millennium Trail; some are included in this Archive. But as time passed, I became increasingly interested in abstraction, and subjects from nature seemed to adapt well to it. For examples, see this Archive.
As the years went by, I gravitated to non-objective abstract painting and the emotional power it can convey. I love the playfulness and spontaneity in making these paintings, discovering and rediscovering the interrelationships between colour, value, and line.
Despite the directional shifts over the past decades, to me, the creative process has underlying similarities. No matter where you begin -- with a planned composition or just with a mood and a palette -- sooner or later important decisions must be made, large and small. What to add, what to leave in, what to take out. Is it working? Step back, analyze, add and subtract. Repeat. The closer your painting seems to completion, the more important these decisions become. The completed painting is the endpoint of your decision-making.
Underlying your art is your experience with your tools and in your life, and your skilled analysis. Your Self. Your art is who you are.
Thank you for taking the time to look at my website. I'll be happy to answer any questions via the Contact page.
Gerry Jenkison
July 2021, Hillier
My other passion is making art, something I've been doing for thirty years.
I began with botanical illustration. At heart, I love detail and have a keen eye for it. I was a founding member of Botanical Artists of Canada. But the interest in disciplined realism was replaced by wanting to work in a more painterly style, which also involved switching out watercolour for acrylics and tiny brushes for large ones. Living here in the countryside, farm animals were an obvious subject for the new approach. I've included a few of those paintings this Archive. Another project was a series of sixty 6 by 6 images of the County's Millennium Trail; some are included in this Archive. But as time passed, I became increasingly interested in abstraction, and subjects from nature seemed to adapt well to it. For examples, see this Archive.
As the years went by, I gravitated to non-objective abstract painting and the emotional power it can convey. I love the playfulness and spontaneity in making these paintings, discovering and rediscovering the interrelationships between colour, value, and line.
Despite the directional shifts over the past decades, to me, the creative process has underlying similarities. No matter where you begin -- with a planned composition or just with a mood and a palette -- sooner or later important decisions must be made, large and small. What to add, what to leave in, what to take out. Is it working? Step back, analyze, add and subtract. Repeat. The closer your painting seems to completion, the more important these decisions become. The completed painting is the endpoint of your decision-making.
Underlying your art is your experience with your tools and in your life, and your skilled analysis. Your Self. Your art is who you are.
Thank you for taking the time to look at my website. I'll be happy to answer any questions via the Contact page.
Gerry Jenkison
July 2021, Hillier