Jolene Mackie is an artist living and working in Kelowna BC. Since graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Emily Carr University in 2009, Jolene has pursued art making professionally with a focus on the medium of oil painting. Jolene has exhibited her work widely throughout the Okanagan Valley and British Columbia, and has work in private collections around the world. Jolene finds inspiration in simple, fleeting moments: a unique quality of light, the shape of shadows, and the living palettes that colour our daily existence. Her work blends fascination with the world around us and the whimsy of human imagination into wholly unique visual experiences.
From custom pieces to curated series, her paintings are about the process of creating as much as the creation itself. For this reason she favours of oil paints, as their slower working time is both meditative and contemplative. Jolene is the 2017 recipient of the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan Visual Arts award, her work has been recognized for its visceral impact.
It is my intention to create work that invokes pause and reflection in the viewer. It might be the spur of a memory, or a wish for the future – it is this visceral impact I aspire to create. As with any creative journey I see both the result of this work, as well as the process equally significant. I believe in striving to create a moment of breath in my work, as I am also seeking this breath in my personal life. There is magic to participating in the present moment – and to enjoying the human imagination – instead of constantly being caught up in questions of the past and concerns for the future.