Artist Bio & CV
My name is Jamie Wallman and I am an artist situated on the land of the Sto’lo people; this land where I live and create inspires my practice. I am a multidimensional artist using acrylic, gouache and watercolour paints, ink as well as clay and thread to create mixed media paintings and sculptures. My practice includes themes of nature and animal symbolism to relay personal experiences or study the complexity of human emotion in order to make sense of my own feelings. I gravitate to animal subjects over humans because of the straightforward way in which animals communicate their needs and this approach allows me to have a simpler way to reflect on my emotions and experiences. I use a gestural, maximalist technical approach as I search for ways to add unique texture and motion into my art. The rough texture of an art piece can be compared to the complicated mess that emotions can be and that tactile element allows the viewer to imagine what the surface may feel like; giving them a connection to my art through the senses. My pull to animal and natural subjects also comes from the artists that inspire me, all of which use these subjects. I’m mainly inspired by the works of Teagan White, due to their thematic elements involving the relations between human and animal and how they mix beauty into grotesque imagery. I intend for my work to be for vast audiences who can project their own experiences onto my work and create the meaning within their minds, but my hope is that, regardless of the specific interpretation, the viewers of my art have an emotional reaction.