I am a self-taught artist with a varied experience in the arts community over the last 25 years. In the 1990’s, I worked with the Edmonton First Night Festival, the Citadel Theatre Teen & Children’s festivals. I was Marketing Coordinator for the Works Festival & PR manager for Art Evo gallery in City Centre Mall in 1992. In 1991, I formed the Blue Collar Art Company with 2 artist friends and we produced sculptural furniture and specialty store fixtures for 2 years. During this time I also produced & recorded 3 cd’s; designed numerous cd covers and websites; and filmed & edited 2 music videos which aired on MuchMusic.
After moving to Calgary in 1993, I began to focus more on painting while continuing to produce sculptural steel work in conjunction with several glass artists. Our work was sold in 3 or 4 galleries in Calgary. I returned to Edmonton in 1995 and for the last 20 years I have been busy helping run the family business and for most of that time, I produced very little art. In 2013, I began painting again with a renewed joy. I also have become an advocate and social media promoter for artists and art.
In, 2015, I was the creator of the Twitter event #artAdventCalendar which encouraged artists to post original art for 25 days in December. Over 20 Edmonton artists participated and the hashtag had over a million impressions. In 2016, 66 artists from around the world participated with over 6 million impressions.
In 2016, I was the founder of the #artforYMMHelps auctions to raise money for the Red Cross Fort McMurray fire relief. 24 artists from around the world donated 28 pieces of original art and raised over $18,000 for relief efforts.
Website: www.EarthSkyArt.ca
Twitter: twitter.com/jayispainting
Facebook: facebook.com/jayispainting
Instagram: instagram.com/jayispainting