"west coast soul" is the true name of Jill-Marie Stokes, a 28-year-old self taught painter. she was mentioned in cup of red's Next Door Style's launch party article last month, as the resident painter of Yaletown's hip Raw Canvas. having grown up on Vancouver Island, lived in Whistler and Vancouver, and travelled around the world to places like Australia, Costa Rica and Uganda, Stokes' art is a creative reminisce of her outdoor experiences. working with acrylics on canvas, her paintings not only revolves around nature but explores it as a being with soul. Stokes' art currently is displayed at the chocolateir, Cocoa Nymph on 10th and Alma. next Saturday, December 13th, marks her opening night for her artwork at Raw Canvas. cup of red had the wonderful pleasure of getting to know the story and person behind Jill Marie's artwork over delicious spicy hot chocolate from Cocoa Nymph.
([cor] is “cup of red”, [jms] is Jill-Marie Stokes)
[cor]: what are your inspirations for your art?
[jms]: my inspirations are from photographs that mostly came from my world travels. i love to paint my photographs that have a big impact and special moment for me.
"Morning Glory" - the painting
"Morning Glory" - the photo inspiration[jms]: it has really come from who i am. i've spent the last 8 years guiding in the outdoors and most of my life exploring it from a young age. i've also watched a lot of environmental themes come through this year in a few pieces after working at Ziptrek Ecotours in Whistler. the owners taught us about global sustainability and how to teach others using the lessons learned from the cycles of life in thousand-year-old rainforests. that's where the "Tree of Life"took form when i was trying to convey the energy that is circulating from the trunk into the soil, up into the clouds and ultimately back to the tree in the form of rain. it shows us the interaction that is taking place with every element and the fragile balance that is held between each other.
[cor]: can you tell us more about that cherry blossom painting you were working on at Next Door Style's launch party?
[jms]: "Then Hope Came to Town" is a piece where nature is crying out for help. there are two Japanese characters on it - the first is "help" like in a medical emergency and the second is "restore", meaning to restore back unto its original state. We see a lot of pro-environment advertisements which are trying to communicate these ideas of moving towards sustainability by showing the damage we have already done. most often the result is inducing fear on us, to the point of being overwhelmed, which leaves a lot of us not doing anything at all. the more we stay connected with nature, the more we understand why it is an essential part of our lives. i want the message to be one of hope and beauty so it motivates people out of a place of love. luckily, we live in Vancouver which is so close to all the forests, ocean and mountains. i think that's why we are on the forefront of adapting to this lifestyle because – it is still apart of us.
[cor]: how did you start painting?
[jms]: i had art classes throughout high school but didn't really start to paint for pleasure until three years ago. my first major painting was of a panoramic sunset of Costa Rica, "Pura Vida". my boss at the time said he wanted to buy it before i got famous! it was a real encouragement to even consider selling or even think I could make a living at it.
[cor]: what do you think is the role of the artist in society?
[jms]: big question. ha. i don't think i'm at that point where i want to answer something like that. i'm still having to much fun trying to get this stuff on a canvas. painting is my passion, it's what i love to do. ask me again in a few years.
[cor]: are there any artists that influence your art or is it mostly from within yourself?
[jms]: most of this is from within myself, my travels, those moments i alluded to before and the different galleries i've been to around the world. although i think Emily Carr was the raddest chick ever for breaking away from her Victorian upbringing to travel the west coast all by herself to native villages, internationally and be so dedicated to her work even though she was mostly misunderstood by others in her time.
[cor]: tell us more about your opening night next Saturday, December 13th at Raw Canvas.
[jms]: i will be teaching Dr. Karl-Henrik Robert's four natural steps in moving towards a more sustainable life and use examples of how people are applying them on a city, business and personal level. it will be followed by an open question and discussion period about the natural steps and my artwork. BBC planet earth will also be projected on the wall. it's the most amazing documentary on wildlife and nature that captivates the beauty of it like never before. i hope that the opening night won't be like a boring paintings-on-a-white-gallery-wall reception, there will be so much going on at the Raw Canvas – live music, interactive talks, people can even jam in the painting pit with their personal canvas. there will be something for everyone to do.
[cor]: ending with cup of red's classic random interview question - what chocolate truffle from Cocoa Nymph are you the most like and why?
[jms]: the Glinda - a dark chocolate and blackberry gnache. sweet, wild and simple.
want to see Stokes' artwork and meet her in person? curious as to what the four natural steps are? want to have an artistic night of entertainment?
then join cup of red at Stokes' opening night at Raw Canvas at 1046 Hamilton St. on Saturday, December 13th starting at 8pm!
*where can you view more of Jill-Marie Stokes' works: http://www.westcoastsoul.com/
*where you can learn more about her opening night at the Raw Canvas: http://www.raw-canvas.com/
*where you can find out more about Cocoa Nymph: http://cocoanymph.com/
-cup of red
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