Janna Kumi

ARTIST STATEMENT

My practice defies easy categorization, operating instead within formal and conceptual slippages between abstract modernist, minimalist, and representative art. The consistency across my work is the emotional response I have to function, form, and patterns primarily occurring in small, overlooked, and seemingly insignificant components of the natural world. Trees and forests hold special interest, with my focus mostly on the micro-level - on bark and wood – and its textures, colors, and the life forms that find a home there.



The artistic process starts with close observation. The work is usually meticulous, closely cropped, inviting viewers to draw near for a closer look and allowing a more intimate portrait to emerge. Colour, pattern, or luminosity are enhanced to let the complexity shine through. With paintings, I often use acrylic ink applied as a stain on natural, unprimed, low-weave cotton, rather than layering paint on primed canvas, thereby reducing the environmental impact of acrylic or oil. Drawings are on paper using ink and colored pencils, while collages are usually constructed with dyed mulberry paper mounted on a wood panel. The use of simple, artisanal materials reflects the Arte Pro...

Curriculum Vitae - Janna Kumi, AFCA

2021

Attained Signature Status with the Federation of Canadian Artists - AFCA


Education - Visual Art

2015

Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC

2009

Fine Arts Techniques Certificate, Emily Carr University, Vancouver, BC

Solo Exhibitions

At Eye Level, Hatch Gallery, Vancouver, March 8 - 30th, 2018

Time and Process, Outlet Gallery, Jan 23 - March 27, 2020


Selected Group Exhibitions

Art Rental Program, Juried, CityScape Gallery, North Vancouver, 2018 to present
Art!Vancouver Fair, Vancouver, April 19 – 22, 2018
Bark, VanDusen Gardens, Vancouver, June 1 - July 3, 2018
Creatively Local, Juried, Ferry Building, West Vancouver, July 17-29, 2018
Harmony Arts Festival, Juried, West Vancouver, August 2018
Concept, Juried, Federation of Canadian Artists, Vancouver, 2018
Active Members Show, Juried, Federation of Canadian Artists, Vancouver, 2018
Balance, Juried, Seymour Art Gallery, Deep Cove, 2017
Art!Vancouver Fair, Vancouver, May 2017
Harmony Arts Festival, Juried, West Vancouver, August. 2017
Line, Juried, Seymour Art Gallery, Deep Cove, December 2017
Art!Vancouver Fair, Vancouver, May 2016
Harmony Arts Festival, Juried, West Vancouver, August 2015
Welcoming Communities, Juried, Delta Firehall, Gallery, Ladner, and the Tsawwassen Libraries, Delta, BC, Sept/Oct 2013
3rd Year Exhibition, Juried, Department of Visual Arts, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, 2012
Emerging Artists, Juried Show, Juried, Beaumont Studios, Vancouver, BC...