Art Overview

Pottery

Jackie first tried her hand at pottery back in the early ‘90s when her friend suggested they take classes at the Dundas Valley School of Art. She was smitten, but sadly working part-time in retail couldn’t afford to keep attending classes. Flash ahead to the fall of 2007, she picked up pottery again at Mohawk College, and the opportunity to get back into the mud arose. Jackie jumped back into pottery to balance out the courses she was taking at university, eventually completing her degree in Anthropology in 2016. In 2018, she completed the Ceramics certificate at Mohawk College, but still takes classes there with - as her husband calls them - her “pottery peeps”. Recently Jackie switched from wheel throwing to hand-building most of her pieces, to incorporate more textures and shapes inspired by her love of quilting and other needle-crafts.

Quilting

Jackie started quilting in 2013 after visiting the Creativ Festival in Toronto and picking up a small quilting kit. She completed the kit with tips and tricks from friends at church. And she was hooked. She only makes quilts and bags for herself and as gifts for now, but one never knows what the future has in store. Recently Jackie has tried incorporating her love of quilting and other needle-crafts into her pottery work, either by texture, technique, or both.

Watercolour

In 2016 Jackie had the chance to take a workshop with local Hamilton artist Lena Montecalvo, and her love of watercolour bloomed. (No pun intended.) Working mostly with abstracts, she plays with colour to reflect her emotions - or to pick them up if she has had a bad day. That is where she has learned to take #ArtIsLife as a way of life, as opposed to just a hobby.

Sewing

Sitting at the kitchen table in her Nana's kitchen, using a thick strand of yarn and a piece of paper, was where Jackie first learned to sew, She’d never been one to shy away from a challenge, and made her first hand-sewn backpack from scrap fabrics and her imagination when she was 8. After learning how to read patterns she also made a slew of Hallowe'en costumes for her sister and friends when she was 14. Over the years sewing has come and gone as a focus in her life, but she always returns to it, smiling as she remembers the time spent learning with Mum and Nana.