December 2023
Work in a New Light Local artist Jennifer Annesley explores human emotion through light and watercolour WORDS BY MATTHEW STEPANIC PHOTOGRAPHY SUPPLIED
When Jennifer Annesley’s artistic career began 34
with its Châteauesque structure and luxurious
years ago, she didn’t have tools like Instagram or
atmosphere, became the perfect complement to
TikTok to promote her stunning watercolours and to
Annesley’s work that explores light and darkness in
find new clients. But what she did have was more
architecture and nature. “The night was successful
innovative and rarer a sales tool than most artists—
enough that my husband Neil and I thought, ‘Let’s
even the highly successful ones—can claim today:
do it next year on our own,’” Annesley shares. “Now
an annual solo exhibition of her work.
the show has been running for 30 years, and it’s been the cornerstone of my career.”
During her Fine Arts degree at the University of Alberta, Annesley was fortunate to begin receiving
It comes as no surprise to a viewer of Annesley’s art
commissions, which helped her find representation
that she can maintain such a dedicated audience
with a couple of local galleries when she graduated.
and patronage for three decades. In her process,
However, she shares, this wasn’t sustainable for
Annesley works off several photographs of places
making a living as an artist: “You sent your paintings
from her travels in both the natural beauty of
[to the galleries] and then you just waited and
Alberta’s backcountry and the man-made splendour
hoped that a sale came in.” In 1994, a friend who
of architecture from cities around the world. “I'll visit
loved her work suggested collaborating together
a place a few times a day to see where the light is
on a client appreciation party. When he saw the
coming in from,” she explains. “Sometimes a piece
size of her contact list—which totalled between 300
of light will just sweep across a floor—and that’s the
and 400 names, even then—he knew they needed
composition, that’s the moment that I’m trying to
a bigger venue. The Fairmont Hotel Macdonald,
capture.”
- 61 -
