Jenni Blackmore

Artist Statement

Although I was born in Manchester, the grimy industrial North of England never felt like home. I always wanted to live by the sea. Dreams do come true and home now is on a small island just east of Halifax, where the ocean sparkles and sings its way into most of my work.

As well as painting and illustrating, I write fiction, poetry and plays for readers of all ages. Through my work I like to explore the mystical and suggest playful alternatives to the seemingly mundane. I also like to express my belief in the importance of sustainable living practices and love for colour.

My earliest memory of being in BIG TROUBLE was for painting the neighbour's wall with insoluble house paint. This was, I now realize, the beginning of my mural painting career! Several of my murals can be seen around HRM.

Biography

List of public work during 2000-2009

2009 Dolphins on Parade- for Easter Seals Campaign
Two Group shows at the Craig Gallery
The Surf Show, Laughleton Gallery (three new works)
2007 Guardians of the Sea- Nehalennia, Celtic Goddess of the Sea
2005 Lobsters In the City- Exterior Installations (2)
The Two Show (three new pieces) YWCA Gallery
2004 Angels Show, YWCA (six new pieces and limited edition books)
Khyber Members Annual Show (one new work)
The Surf Show '04, Laughleton Gallery (one new work)
2003 Seabreeze Gallery (on-going display)
The Other Side, Dartmouth Museum Gallery
2002 The Bite Show, Corridor Gallery
On The Water, Corridor Gallery
2001 Set Painting - movies, My Little Eye and K19, The Widowmaker
Deeply and Songs in Ordinary Time 2008-9
We Care Office Mural- Interior, panorama of Halifax Harbour with city-scape.
2000 Hawthorn Street School- major exterior mural representing students' choice favourite characters from books.
Bedford Institute of Oceanography- major mural to transform room into underwater environment with accurate representations of various species.