Jacqueline Halstead

My name is Jacqueline Halstead but most people call me Jackie. I am primarily a self- taught artist but taking classes in colour theory, drawing, painting and art history has helped me to become a better artist. Most of my style and skill has been achieved through practice and experimentation. I am not the first and certainly not the last artist to use fabric as a motif in my paintings but textiles are integral to my art practice, and I intend to continue exploring my fascination with fabric and fashion. As I’ve developed my talents and been exposed to different mediums, I am very satisfied with my command of charcoal and oil pastels so far. 

Most of my paintings start out from a photo I saw in a fashion magazine. I am an idea person, so I have naturally developed a style of my own (I call it patchwork painting) but there is an underlying fashion influence that people recognize in my work. 

I am university educated and for the last 20 years I have worked in education as a secretary, library technician and art teacher! 

Being a Black artist can sometimes be tricky. As a Black woman artist, sometimes the lines get blurred  between my responsibilities as a person of African descent and using my platform to raise cultural awareness and cultural understanding . While in contrast, as an emerging artist shouldn’t my focus be honing my craft and trying to create the best art that I can? 

I just want to be as healthy and empowered as I can and channel my rich heritage, experiences and passions like fashion into my art and if I’m lucky, have people relate and connect with my vision! Being able to tell stories and present it in a relatable and universal way that makes people want to engage with me and my work and ideally feel something visceral and deep is what I am trying to achieve when I enter and leave my studio.