Bennett

Jacqueline was born and raised in Toronto and Rural Southern Ontario which has created a fascination with both, as seen in her work. She has a degree in fine art from the University of Guelph with a major in studio. Her first painting was bought by the U. of G. in 1975.

As a student her passion was sculpture and the human figure. While at school she took a semester in Paris to view as much art as possible first hand.  Trips back to France, Germany, Holland and England as well as to the US – San Francisco, Washington DC and NYC - were a large part of her ongoing art education.

As an editorial illustrator, in the ‘80’s, her assignments encouraged the telling of stories. Story telling has a great appeal and has influenced much of her work. Studying drafting at Ryerson brought a fascination with architecture and structure. At the University of Toronto she studied literature, stage design and theatre as she worked as a detailer [structural draftsman and show layouts] for the Industrial Exhibit Industry.

For the past 20 years Jacqueline has worked on painting. Colour, theme and composition are a large part of her work. Currently she works primarily with acrylics or oils.  Abstract paintings have taken over most of her recent work except for commissions. For the past 6 years, teaching painting and drawing has brought the added benefits of sharing the struggles and triumphs of being creative with her students. Jacqueline finds this fulfilling, inspirational and motivating.  She has had One-Man shows and joined Invited and Juried shows in Toronto, from the 80’s onwards.

Artist Statement
My inspiration to create art comes from many sources.  Most come from contemplation. My abstract paintings are motivated by modern themes and concepts like differences between man and nature. This work is ongoing.  My abstract paintings of urban life are concerned with the bright colours and rhythms of the city in paintings like Hustle or Urban Sunset. The Banner series was inspired by Tibetan images of prayer flags – sending out thoughts into the ether.

All my realist works are meditative – Wetlands, Cold Clear Morning. I want to look at these works and be taken to a thoughtful place.

WEBSITE
artinstructor.net

EMAIL
jacquelinecrawley@
artinstructor.net

BLOG
jacquelinecrawley.
blogspot.com/