Artist’s Statement
Jean Smith
Ottawa, Ontario

Jean Smith is a Scottish born, Canadian artist. Her work is strongly influenced by all manner of things that touch her family, the buzz of everyday life and the landscapes that give shape to the spaces around her.  Colour, vibrant and strong, most often abstracted, give expression to these influences. 

Many years of travel in Canada, Scotland and throughout Europe have lead her to value the hidden richness of the natural world. Ordinary people and places and the way in which these act on each other are the stuff of her paintings. These paintings are often brought to life using her hands rather than the more traditional painter’s brush. The rich oil colours are mixed directly on the canvas rather than a pallet. She sees in the ordinary, the everyday, the spectacular way in which light and colour dance and play.

Group Shows Include:
Diverse Solutions – University of Ottawa group show 1995
101 Frames – participating for 10 years (1995-2005)
Private Show, Linda Scott, Ottawa ON (1999)
Watercan – Art Auction (1996)
Group Show, The Conference Board of Canada (2006 - 2011)
Gallery 7A, 2006
Gallery 7A, 2007
Artifex - Professional Artist Gala, the National Gallery of Canada, June 2012
Selection 2012, Trinity Gallery, Shenkman Art Centre, September 2012
Hospice Care Ottawa, Pop-up Shop, November 2013
Strathcona - Art in the Park, August 2015
Nector Art Centre, June 2016
Strathcona - Art in the Park, August 2015, 2016, 2017

September 2017