ABOUT
Biography
Jen attended Sheridan's BAA Illustration program before emerging into the Toronto art community in the early 2010's. Her large format acrylic paintings feel both simple and complex, creating a warmth that invites viewers to sit with the piece and reflect on time.
Jen's work has been slowly shifting over her career to be less subjective, and more about what's felt in the introspective moments that arrive in her studio time. After an unforeseeable accident and its long aftermath in her twenties, her path was forged in a different direction than she had envisioned for her early career. Though not something she speaks about directly in her work, the experience changed her relationship with life; deepening her awareness of time and heightening her understanding of gratitude which is what grows out of survival. Painting became less about producing something and more about being present with the process itself. It is a place for us to find our own truth and acceptance of self.
Starting a family during the pandemic has sharpened Jen's awareness of how quickly moments slip into memories as she watches her daughter grow. Through abstraction and soft layers of intentional colour, she paints to hold onto that delicate blur, creating a space where the beauty of those in-between moments can be contained for a lifetime of enjoyment.
Jen Prior's mastery of colour is her way of sharing her unique perspective with the viewer. Nature has always been the primary inspiration for her work, and in recent years has been informed by her newfound sentiments through everyday family life. In 2025, she will transition from her home country of Canada and migrate to the Netherlands as their new home for the foreseeable future. This change has already inspired new ripples in her work as she transitions between these places.