Jyllian Mittag

Picking up a brush is a statement. With it, I will confront feelings of anxiety, depression, guilt, and shame. But in doing so, I will also explore and celebrate the positive - joy, gratitude, serenity, and hope.

The canvas becomes the bare and honest space where the positive and negative converge.

At times, the process can be cathartic. Other times, it's an opportunity to calm my thoughts, release any sense of control, and be reactive to the work. I am, in some way, an external influence on the painting and it can be best to let my art be guided by the medium itself.

While in art school, I fell out of love with imagining a final piece in my mind, then recreating it. Instead, I love the process. Simply starting with certain colours, exploring them and how they respond to material. The art is an image of its own creation.

I have a connection to my finished works because I was part of the process, but I always love to hear what other people feel or see. It's the connections that viewers are able to make that pushes me to continue painting in this way.

University of Windsor - Bachelor of Arts - Visual Arts
University of Windsor - Education

What We Thought to Bury Deep 2015