Meet Jackie: the artist behind the canvas

My artistic journey can be traced back to a large print which hung in my childhood home in Belfast of grasses, silhouetted against an evening sky of yellow, violets and blues. At an early age I learnt how art can exude calm and be savoured and also has the power to change the atmosphere of a space.

The outcome of my artistic process is to create vibrant scenes with glimmers of light glistening through intricate structures of plants in acrylic or oil on canvas or paper. The intention is for the viewer to engage with the painting and sense the joy or calm emanating from the work. ‘‘My artistic process begins with a walk and active looking. I am constantly inspired by what nature presents and it is my role to capture its nuances.’’

The next stage of the process is total emersion by using thumbnail sketches and by researching the work of landscape artists such as Albala, McCarthy, Kroyer, Sargent, Stein and Van Gogh.  The main piece is a larger version of a strong thumbnail that works compositionally. After the underpainting the main values are blocked in and a palette is selected using the colour wheel and some experimentation in sketchbooks.

The incubation period is an opportunity to stand back and return later to review. Values and colour can be seen with more clarity. To add texture a palette knife is used to scrape and enhance texture. I have a unique method when painting plants for example red hot pokers I benefit from studying the Fibonacci sequence to better understand how the light bathes the plant.

The most challenging part of making a piece of work is knowing when to stop. My rule of thumb is when I feel I have achieved an ambient and  dynamic  atmosphere.

I am an alumna of University of Ulster Belfast School of Art and IT Sligo MA Creative Practice.