krystynajervis

Bio

I have always had the ability to recognize the extraordinary in the ordinary. In another life, I must have been a magpie, as I often collect strange and discarded objects that have lost their original value, and incorporate them in my subsequent work.

I love how time and exposure to the elements weathers and enhances the surfaces of things. I am interested in cultural diversity and am consistently attracted to items that show the imprint of the human hand. Fascination with these matters frequently manifests itself in the textural quality of my work.

The stylized representational style which I have used in the past has brought me to abstraction, both two and three dimensional. Abstraction, I believe,helps me explore and express reality at a deeper and more thoughtful level. Metaphors have always been powerful tools for artists to reveal the essence of things. Although the ones I use are very personal ones, I hope that they resonate with the public, who are free to apply their own experiences to understanding my work. My travel experiences to countries like India and Greece, to name just a few, have changed the way I consider composition, colour, and texture.

My background in education and teaching, began in Scotland and carried on to Canada. I have been an educator all my life and am a passionate supporter of the arts. My sixteen years as Head of Visual Arts Department at Claremont Secondary School in Victoria, BC., were hugely rewarding, both personally and artistically. Although my career was fulfilling, it consumed a lot of my time and energy, and so prevented me from devoting more attention to personal work. However, it did allow me to refine my ideas and prepared me for the time when I could devote myself exclusively to my own art.

Krystyna Jervis