Drawing images of a textured world
- Jacqui’s multicultural upbringing brings detail and dynamism to her artworks
- Her collage-led paintings explore multi-faceted worlds
- Organic natural shapes and floral motifs offer a sense of creative possibility
Jacqui Oakley creates paintings, ink drawings, paper masks and large-scale murals. Born in Hamilton and raised across Libya, Zambia, Bahrain, England and Canada, she studied illustration at Sheridan College, Toronto. Jacqui has been working in editorial, publishing and advertising since the early 2000s, while simultaneously developing an artistic studio practice. Her process includes disciplined draftsmanship, pencil to ink work and open-ended discovery. “My pieces evolve by themselves as I paint on textured paper and cut and collage the fragments together,” she says. Jacqui has taught at Sheridan College and Ontario College of Art & Design and mentors emerging illustrators.
INTERVIEW
Florals, patterns and ornaments are always present in my pieces. My multicultural upbringing has influenced my approach: growing up around Persian rugs, batik and decorative arts in the Middle East and Africa trained my eye to notice details.
I knocked on doors the old fashioned way. I travelled to New York to meet art directors and show them my portfolio as a way of building interest in my work. Over time, one commission led to more commissions, and now most of my projects come through word of mouth, client referrals and people discovering my art online.
I was surrounded by African masks as a child and was captivated by their power to both conceal and reveal. My masks are created in paper layers, each layer adding a little something until a new persona emerges. The mask is alive with texture and becomes transformative.
When I draw, I drift into a meditative state. My mask-making practice, by contrast, grounds me. It is physical, immediate and connects me directly to the material. I enjoy the sense of presence when I feel fully engaged and embedded in the act of making.
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