Jay Hanscom

Artist`s Statement

Born in Burnaby, British Columbia in 1974, my adolescence was spent growing up in the suburbs of Coquitlam. Much of my childhood was spent building forts in the nearby woods, catching frogs and tadpoles up at the local ponds, or hanging out in my father’s workshop. During these years, my exposure to contemporary art was obsolete to say the least; however, my love for modern /contemporary work was born when I started to attend art school.

I spent 2 years at Langara College where I focused my attention on etching and welded steel sculpture, and discovered artists like Claes Oldenburg, Cy Twombly, Philip Guston and Basquiat.In 1998 I finished my BFA at Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design where I majored in sculpture and drawing.

Since my graduation from Emily Carr, much of my time has been spent working in Western Canada and traveling: backpacking through the Andean regions of South America, trekking through Irelandand Scotland and exploring major art capitals such as LA, New York and London. During this time my art making practice has changed from sculpture based work to mixed media drawings on paper and board as well as large scale oil based paintings on wood box frames.

My work is an experiment in contradictions for me. Many of the works contain elements of intentional randomness in terms of subject matter. These unique relationships of chance and absurdity juxtapose the flow of connectivity of the body of work as a whole, which is tied together with basic design principles. An implied narrative runs throughout much of the work.

EXHIBITION HISTORY:

Deluge Gallery: RPM: Foundraiser Show, Victoria, B.C.April 10- 2, 52009

XChanges Artists Gallery: Parade: Solo Show, Victoria, B.C.Sept. 5-282009

Deluge Gallery: Lost Art Of The LP: Foundraiser ShowVictoria, B.C., March 2008

Gallery At The Mac: A Boy’s Life, Main GalleryVictoria, B.C.Oct 30 – Dec 11, 2006

Eciad : Graduation Show: South BuildingVancouver, B.C. 1998

Eciad: Hybrid Show: Concourse GalleryVancouver, B.C. 1997

Langara College: Graduation Show: Main LevelVancouver, B.C.1995

Evergreen Cultural Centre: Solo ShowCoquitlam, B.C.April 30 – May 222010

EDUCATION:

Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, Vancouver, B.C. – 1995-1998 – Sculpture & Drawing Majors

Langara College, Vancouver, B.C. – 1993 – 95 – Diploma: Fine Arts Program