Jen Tinsley, Painter

Jen Tinsley has loved art and creating for as long as she can remember. Her parents’ house is still adorned with both wall and door murals that can attest to this. She has a B.A. in Art/Secondary Education and have taught in schools in USA, Ukraine, and Canada. She has also painted murals in each of those countries!

After 5 years in Ukraine (and three kids) Jen and family decided to move back to Canada, her country of origin. They moved to Duncan, BC – a small town on Vancouver Island as she has always wanted to live on “The Island.” This was where her grandmother lived and she remembers her mom telling her stories about the dolphins, whales, purple starfish, moss covered trees, and endless beachcombing opportunities. To Jen, “The Island” seemed magical. She has done a lot of travelling in her life and she says Vancouver Island is one of the most beautiful places she has ever been to. She has enjoyed exploring and painting this island for the past 12 years.

Recently her family has embarked on another adventure and has moved to the Vancouver area. She is looking forward to exploring and being inspired by this new and beautiful part of our province, while still taking frequent trips back to the island to continue exploring there.

When Jen goes exploring she always brings her camera. The photos she takes are research. She prints out the photos that are particularly inspiring and works from them in her studio at home. She loves to play with colour, shape, and movement and aspires that the end result will not just be a depiction of a location but that it will also contain the emotion of what it feels like to be in that place.