PHOTO- Mustafa Hacalaki

JENNIFER CLOUTIER

is a visual artist, creative entrepreneur and avid traveller who feeds her creativity through her explorations abroad, bringing back emotional-visual souvenirs. Jennifer feels that her passion for travel and creativity go hand and hand as she continually feels the allure of adapting to constant change and reacting to exotic new experiences that influence her work.  Her journey begins with her photography and journal entries that she logs as she travels. Her role as a silent observer allows her to frame an environment in its natural state. The images she captures have a painterly feel; the balance of light and shadow and the dramatic lines all serve to draw the viewer into an interesting perspective. This awareness and appreciation for her surrounding environment can be seen as she writes, " I feel that this world provides you with so much raw and inspiring beauty; as an artist, you can only hope to reflect and recapture the moment that has gifted itself to you, and hopefully inspire the viewer as well.     

On her return home, she retreats to her studio to process the trip. Through her journal entries and photography, she searches out images or memories that translate onto canvas. Here she finds and injects greater personal emotion into a painting, enriching the image with colour and texture. In a sense bringing the memory alive again the way, she had experienced it the first time.

With each photo and painting, she hopes to inspire others to take a moment and step outside their own realities and notice the small details around them. To remember to not always focus on the destination, but on the journey taken to get there.

Jennifer Cloutier was born in Maidstone, Ontario. She attended the University of Windsor, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Her focus in her studies was painting. It was not until she spent a year touring Australia that her passion for photography revealed itself to her. Since then she has travelled extensively to such places as Mexico, U.S.A, Nepal, Japan, Czech Republic, Europe, Cuba, Central America and South-East Asia. When not roaming the globe you can find her at home in Montreal in her studio or on the streets observing everyday life.