Jennifer Jean Peters is a true artist. She is obsessive, dedicated, passionate and gifted with a rare transparency within  her work. She is not afraid to get dirty, to be “ugly” or to delve into the raw experiences and emotions we fear or suppress. It is  through these honest, at times disturbing explorations that she sheds light on “closet” issues such as domestic  violence, abuse and the marginalized. Her first exhibition at the Little Gallery back in the fall of 2001 entailed an exploration of the stigma surrounding the pervasive effects of trauma,  consisting of a series of fridge doors plastered with graphic poetry and Polaroid images documenting injuries painted onto the artist’s body. There was also a beautifully painted series of portraits on a large-scale rug, depicting raw  expressions of grief cast onto the floor of the gallery with an invitation to those viewers in attendance to simply  tread all over it, as our culture would have us do.  

Since this predominantly black inception, Jennifer’s work has undergone a steady progression from the darkness of deep-seated grief to an abiding joy as a single mother to her five children. The striking contrast between Jennifer’s vivacious energy and the raw violence within her work takes root in a history of generational trauma; however it was allowing this expression within her work that she was able to reconcile the darker facets of her story. Her professional trajectory had a promising debut, culminating in her first international exhibition alongside eleven other female artists from across North and South America, as well as an international collaboration with internationally renowned Spanish artist Eloy Morales. However, this rapid rise came to a grinding halt on July 2nd, 2018, when the artist’s son, Anthony, died suddenly while nursing in the woods on a camping trip.

Jennifer maintained a studio practice, but chose to step back from tackling publicly exhibiting her work for a number of years in order to grieve and care for her four remaining children. She currently resides in the suburbs of Calgary, Alberta, along with her brood of animals and children; juggling her own studio practice, a thriving Arthouse for the local children and a shared studio space in close proximity to the Sheep River. For more on this prolific artist’s work or her current solo exhibition, please feel free to sign up for her newsletter below.