Jenifer Darbellay     ARTISTS STATEMENT

Jenifer Darbellay is an impressionist/expressionist mixed media artist and painter.  Some of the strongest motifs in her work are weather, angels, women, children, nature, umbrellas and vast space. These images are her companions as she continues her conversation with the canvas about fragility and protection.  She is forever fascinated with the relationship between mother/child and the relationship of the mother we are to our own inner child juxtaposed with the encroaching or embracing outside world and its weather. Her marks and brushstrokes are almost exclusively done with a palette knife to prevent a tendency for preciousness or saving.  Her work often portrays small figures interacting with but enclosed within a grand mass of weather. Sometimes this creates deceptively dreamy landscapes where things that are normally delicate and smaller to our eye are emphasized to magnify their power and dark beauty.  Other times smaller corners of quiet within a expansive chaos where the mark-making creates a watery wash of distortion. Lately, her figures have drawn a larger stance pushing out against the edges of the canvas. Jenifer Darbellay continues to paint everyday, thrilled to pursue all of these series and allow them their natural entwining.

Jenifer Darbellay        BIOGRAPHY

My artistic disposition comes from my artist mother, my supportive father and the legacy of grandparents on both sides of my family who painted in private and shared with hesitation because they were intensely private although enormously talented.   I honor their talent and inherited love of painting by taking mine out of the studio into the light.  I grew up in Calgary, AB and I am pleased to see my big sky roots present themselves strongly and visually in my work.

I received my BFA from Alberta College of Art and Design in Textiles and went on to pursue a career as a professional costume designer for 20 years. I have received awards and scholarships for design and art in both the professional and academic worlds. In 2006, I moved to Vancouver and received my MFA from the University of British Columbia.

Becoming a mother 5 years ago has changed my career trajectory.  I am inspired by the abandon and love with which my son meets the world and I want to mirror his endless possibilities by honoring my own in my creative profession.

When I look back and see the building blocks of 38 years of art classes and obsessions with art supplies, returning to painting feels like coming home.