JJ Peters

BIO 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 express those raw 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 prior exhibit at the Little Gallery was an exploration of the stigma surrounding the pervasive effects of trauma and consisted 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 we, as a collective society, tend to do with these “ugly” emotions. However, unlike many "dark" artists, Jennifer exists and advocates for a life filled with hope, through healing, faith and an ultimate decision to embrace light. In fact, light and beauty permeates much of work and her current trajectory as an artist. Her stunning collection of mixed media photographic montage is the culmination of countless hours spent by the artist in studio refining, selecting and combining visual imagery over the past couple years. These images were captured in her travels, back-country rambles, urban forays downtown and abstract experiments - outdoors, in studio and otherwise. She also chose to construct, photograph and incorporate a series of dimensional sculptures she constructed from rebar, up-cycled materials, found objects and haberdashery. Her large-scale sculpture, entitled "The Ballerina," was a labor of love and took up nearly three quarters of her local Garage Studio during her exhibition “Superfluous Creativity” in 2015. It has now been dismantled and reworked into another beautiful “Warrior,” currently on display on her studio roof in Calgary, Alberta. These sculptures may find public venues in time, but they are an essential piece in her personal growth as an artist and select sculptures have been documented and incorporated into her digital art montages. Art is an all-consuming addiction for this prolific young woman and, as such, she is always seeking the new, the elusive, the yet-to-be discovered. Her recent series, “Human Canvas,” is just such an evocative experiment. The images speak of vulnerability, strength and fragility; visceral, erotic splashes of color, jarring graffiti and pulsating intrigue are in striking contrast with the soothing fluidity of the female form. Rather than attempting to pull rank through adopting the “male,” she embraces what is feminine and speaks to the hidden potential within us all. Daily posts with Jennifer's ever-expanding body of work and skills can be followed on Instagram @jjpetersorignals or Facebook and an expansive collection of her work can be perused on her website www.jjpetersoriginals.com.