JAYE OUELLETTE
Jaye Ouellette has been a professional autodidactic artist for almost 40 years. She has exhibited widely in galleries in Canada, the United States and France and has had six solo shows in Toronto. Since living in Nova Scotia she has had five solo shows at public galleries. Her work was selected for the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia's groundbreaking exhibition ‘Terroir: A Nova Scotia Survey’ in 2016-2017. Her work was also included in the touring show ‘Capture: Nova Scotia Realism’. Curated by Tom Smart, director of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, the provincial gallery for New Brunswick and Peter Dykhuis director of the Dalhousie University Art Gallery, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Curator Tom Smart said about Jaye’s painting in the exhibition “The image is deep and metaphysical. It’s a glorious painting”.
In 2023 Ouellette's work was profiled in the well respected American publication, International Artist Magazine's 25th Anniversary issue, under the heading "Master Painters of the world". A four page article 'The Architecture of water'.
In 2022 she was invited to be a Pouch Cove Foundation artist-in-residence in Newfoundland, followed by the exhibition ‘Water’ at the James Baird Gallery in Pouch Cove.
Jaye has been awarded numerous grants and her work is included in many private and corporate art collections. Her commission work is extensive, including the Mulroney Complex, St. Francis Xavier University, N.S., and, most notably, the Skydome Hotel (Toronto Marriot City Centre Hotel), in Toronto. She created the annual awards for Toronto Women in Film.
Her paintings have been selected for the cover of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra program, The ‘Antigonish Review’ an international literary magazine. Her work has been featured in numerous art publications.
Jaye was profiled in Peter Murphy's documentary film ‘Searching for Realism’ in 2015 and was an invited marquee artist to participate in CBC Radio's ‘Sharing the View’ calendar project in 2014.
Ouellette began her artistic career in glass and was widely recognized in Canada as a contemporary architectural glass artist.
She moved from flat to three-dimensional glass then into mixed media sculpture with glass elements and then abandoned glass altogether. She started painting the human figure in Toronto but, upon moving to her home on the Ocean in Nova Scotia in 2003, felt compelled to paint the Sea.
Curriculum Vitae
Solo Exhibitions
2022 Sunbury Shores Art Centre, St. Andrews, NB 'Current'
2020 Andrew and Laura McCain Gallery, Florenceville, NB, 'Sea Level'
2016 Ice House Gallery, Tatamagouche, N.S., 'Ocean'
2014 St. Francis Xavier University Art Gallery, Antigonish, N.S., 'Water Wood and Wind'
2013 Marigold Art Centre Gallery, Truro, Nova Scotia. 'SEA',.
2012 J. Franklin Wright Gallery, Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia, 'Waves'
2011 Robertson Gallery, Mobile, Alabama, 'The View from Nova Scotia'
1992 N. F. Doyle Gallery, Toronto, 'Tooth and Nail'
1989 Gallery Burston Roberts, Toronto, 'Qem-entu/Was Found'
1988 Weller-Potovsky Gallery, Toronto, 'Looking for a Title'
1987 Neo-Faber Gallery, Toronto, 'Outside the Inskirts'
1985 Art Gallery of Lindsay, Lindsay, Ontario, 'Inside the Outskirts'
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023 Gallery 202, Pictou, N.S. 'Wavelength'
2022 James Baird Gallery, Pouch Cove, N.L, 'Water'
2021 Ice House Gallery, Tatamagouche, N.S 'Unified Earth'
2020 Ice House Gallery, Tatamagouche, N.S 'Stomping Ground'
2017 The Chase Gallery, Nova Scotia Archives, Halifax, 'Relate.Report.Repeat'
2016 Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, 'Terroir: A Nova Scotia Survey'
2015 Inverness Cultural Centre, Inverness, N.S. 'The Forest'
2015 McCarthy Galley, Truro, N.S., 'Water is Key'
2014 Dalhousie University Art Gallery, Halifax, N.S., 'Capture' (Touring to the following galleries)
St. Francis Xavier University Art Gallery, Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Cape Breton University Art Gallery, Sydney, Nova Scotia
Acadia University Art Gallery, Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
1994 Jacob’s, Fairview Mall, Toronto, 'The Feminine Viewpoint'
1990 Lake Gallery, Toronto, Arts Against GST
Robert L. Kidd Gallery, Birmingham, Michigan, Glass Invitational 90
1989 The Glass Gallery, Bethesda, Maryland, Ten + Canadians
Neo-Faber Gallery, Toronto, Living with Limits
London Regional Art Gallery, London, Ontario, 3rd Dimension
1988 Weller-Potovsky Gallery, Toronto, Bill C-54
Neo-Faber Gallery, Toronto, 'I + II=X '
Robert L. Kidd Gallery, Birmingham, Michigan, Glass Invitational 88
John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto, Magna Magnifique
(Touring exhibition of Canadian Glass to Strasbourg, France)
1987 Artspace, Peterborough, Ontario, An-region-al
Art Gallery of Northumberland, Cobourg, Ontario, Glass Act
The Glass Gallery, Bethesda, Maryland, Capital Glass Invitational
Weller-Potovsky Gallery, Toronto, In-teg-ri-ty
1986 Weller-Potovsky Gallery, Toronto, Touch of Glass
1985 John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto, Glass Visions
1984 Artspace, Peterborough, Ontario, No Robots Here
Honors
2015 Profiled in the documentary "Searching for Realism" Director Peter Murphy
2014 Invited as Marquee Artist for 'CBC: Sharing the View' - Feeding Nova Scotia charity art auction event and calendar.
Organized by CBC Halifax.
1988 Ontario Arts Council Material Assistance
Ontario Arts Council Craftsman Grant
Ontario Crafts Council Scholarship
Pilchuck Glass School, Seattle, Washington Scholarship
1986 Ontario Arts Council Craftsman Grant
1985 Ontario Arts Council Materials assistance
Ontario Arts Council Craftsman Grant
Ontario Crafts Council Scholarship
1984 Ontario Arts Council Materials Assitance
Related Experience
2022 Pouch Cove Foundation Artist in residence, N.L
2015 Painting selected for the cover of the Program 'Key' for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's October and November Issue, Toronto, Canada
2014 Painting selected for the cover of 'The Antigonish Review', an international literary magazine produced by
St. Francis Xavier University , Antigonish, N.S.
2014 Painting selected as a label for 'Steinhart Distillery's' vodka, Arisaig, N.S.
1992 Jury Member, Ontario Arts Council, Craftsman Grant
1990 Ryerson University, Toronto, Guest Artist, 1st. Year Architecture, Prof. Tom Carnegie,
Sheridan College, Toronto, Guest Artist, Glass Department,
Instructor-Laura Doneffer
1988 Pilchuck Glass School, Seattle, Washington, Graduate Workshop, 3 week session,
Only non-graduate student accepted
1985 Pilchuck Glass School, Seattle, Washington, Glass Assemblage, 3 week session
T.A. for Instructor-Judy Bally-Jensen
1986 'German Glass and Design Study', OCAD, T.A. for Instructors-Peter Zips and
Gundar Robez
1985 Alfred University, New York, Guest Artist Glass Department,
Instructor-Robin Johnson
Bibliography
2023 International Artist Magazine, Arizona. A four page article under the heading 'master painters of the world' :Architecture of Water.
2016 "Terroir: A Nova Scotia Survey", Exhibition catalogue.
2014 "Capture 2014: Nova scotia Realism", Exhibition catalogue.
2014 The Halifax Herald, Oct. 11, Halifax, N.S.
"Sharing Enchantment" Elissa Barnard. Arts Editor.
2011 Mobile Press Register, Jan. 23, Mobile, Alabama
Review of The View from Nova Scotia
"One Long Commute" Arts editor: Thomas B. Harrison
1994 Jacob’s The Feminine Viewpoint ,Catalogue-2 photos published
1989 NOW Magazine, July 29, Toronto, Review of Living with Limits
"Stretching Ability with Limits" Arts editor: Deidre Hannah
1989 New Work Magazine, NYC, Winter Issue,
"Human Forms: Figuring us out" Gloria Hickey
-Canadian House and Home. May/June Issue, "Style Search", photo published.
1988 Azure Magazine, April Issue, Toronto,
"Collaborating with Fate, The Art of the Found Object"
Cover photo, article, Gloria Hickey
1987 New Work Magazine, NYC, Fall Issue, Review of Outside the Inskirts
Corporate commissions and collections
St. Francis Xavier University, NS. 'Mulroney Complex'
Advocate Media, Maritimes Canada
Merrick Jamieson Sterns Washington & Mahody law firm, Halifax
Rumouski Jazz Festival, awards, Quebec,
First Canadian Investors, Toronto
Skydome Hotel, Toronto
Magna Corporation, Toronto
The Penta Stolp Group, Toronto
Polyrim Ltd., Toronto
Toronto Women in Film and Video awards
*You will notice a gap in my CV history. In 1992 I became suddenly and permanently blind in my right eye, in 1999 my left eye was also affected, but mercifully, not as severely. It took me some time to recover from this blow. Understandably, I was not focusing on my art career for a period of time. But I am now painting more than I ever have!