Pique News

Jane Waterous aims to create joy 

Canadian artist unveils new paintings at the Whistler Contemporary Gallery on Sunday

By Alyssa Noel | February 15, 2019

Jane Waterous might live in a tropical paradise, but it's not all fun and games.

"I've become a late-in-life workaholic," she says from her home in the Bahamas. "I don't play golf; when you live on an island you need a focus and I've found it."

Her focus? Art.

Some weeks she says she spends 100 hours avoiding the sandy beaches in favour of painting. Waterous' bright, joyous, sometimes-3D pieces have earned her fans around the world—from members of the Royal family to Hollywood's elite. She's also represented locally at the Whistler Contemporary Gallery where she'll visit on Sunday, Feb. 17 and unveil new work.

"I'm not a sun bunny," she says. "I crave the mountains and Whistler is the quintessential place to come. I love working with the gallery. I look forward to it every year."

This year, she'll be showcasing new work from her Gatherings series, which uses tiny 3D sculpture-like figures that, collectively, form a shape, words or pattern. Fittingly, one of those features figures spelling out the word "ski."

"That's my attempt for the ski (crowd)," Waterous laughs. "It's fun to change it up and figure out what the market is asking for—and it varies."

Next up, she's beginning to delve into new materials, including marbles. "I love the idea that no two marbles are alike and, in my Gatherings figures, no two are alike. It's a perfect marriage—or perfect storm. I'm not sure yet," she says. "I'm also working with light; I'm doing projects with neon. It was a combination of resins, marbles and neon put together—stay tuned. It's coming out soon."

Waterous—who is originally from Canada—might call the Bahamas home, but she also spends much of her time travelling, which is a source of inspiration for her work. One of her recent impactful trips was to South Africa where she designed a summer program through the not-for-profit Lalela to help at-risk kids access art.

"It was exciting and overwhelming and hard," she says. "The foundation is really to give these kids a break from their life and consistency and structure and art and fun and food. These kids have nothing. They literally have nothing other than the clothes on their back and a little bit of food. It was an escape and a little bit of hope."

Waterous' work has a similar goal—to bring a little light and joy into a sometimes-dark world.

"My work ... is trying to capture the human spirit and give a bit of joy and wonderment to its audience," she says. "When I have clients or collectors come back to me and say, 'Every day I look at your work and it brings a little joy into my life,' it can't get any better than that."

To meet Waterous and see her new work, visit the Whistler Contemporary Gallery on Sunday, Feb. 17 from 4 to 8 p.m.