Jenn Lecour
Artist based in South Pender Island, British Columbia
ABOUT
Jenn is a Canadian abstract artist specializing in oil and cold wax paintings. Born in England and raised in Ontario, Canada, she now lives on South Pender Island, a small island in the Salish Sea off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. Jenn’s artistic journey started over seventeen years ago. At that time, she was a lawyer and her first exposure to painting was through evening courses. As art became her passion, Jenn transitioned to become a full-time artist. After experimenting with various mediums, she discovered that cold wax and oil is the perfect fit for her unique, expressive style. She shows regularly in juried exhibits and her work is in private collections in Canada, the US and England.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My abstract paintings reflect my perception of the natural world. My studio is surrounded by the ruggedness and drama of nature: weathered cliffs, ancient forests and shifting tides. Using cold wax and oil, I seek to evoke a sense of timelessness that is embedded in the landscape. Through scraping, scratching and dissolving layers and then rebuilding them, I provide glimpses of the layers underneath, exploring the visual impact of what is hidden and what has been left behind. Texture plays a vital role in my work. On my daily hikes through the coastal landscape, I am drawn to experience the tactile world, from touching a cool smooth stone to grazing my hand along rough bark. My paintings are developed with a variety of textures to invite tactile engagement—an invitation to experience the feel of the essence of natural elements. I work in an intuitive way, each time that I make a change to a painting, a new composition is created that was not specifically planned. I respond to the evolving composition by introducing further changes. It is like a puzzle— with each piece shaping the next. I love to add spontaneous line work and over time I have come to realize that my lines are often loops and swirls, symbolizing a sense of freedom and wild places. One of my favourite artists is Joan Mitchell and her description of how she created her paintings resonates strongly with me: “I paint from remembered landscapes that I carry with me - and remembered feelings of them, which of course become transformed. I could certainly never mirror nature.”
Website: https://www.jennlecourart.com
Instagram: @jennlecour_art