Jamie Reynolds

I am from Pasqua First Nation, although I was brought up in the big city of Moose Jaw SK, and currently live in Saskatchewan’s finest grain-fed Capital, Regina. I graduated  from the University of Regina with my BFA in 2010. I can proudly say it only took me 6 years and a lot of meandering to do it. I have spent the last decade working in Regina and her surrounding communities as an artist, educator, and administrator, enjoying the latest title much more than I had anticipated.   I have been artist in resident or guest artist for places such as the Mackenzie Art Gallery, Regina Public Library, Heritage community association, First Nations University of Canada, and more. I have also worked on a number of public murals that you can find in the Heritage neighbourhood, if you know where to look. I have taught classes and workshops for numerous community groups, nonprofits, galleries, schools and plus one picnic and one pow-wow! Teaching has been a great joy, I absolutely love helping others create. While working mostly in paint at the moment, I also have  a small, fully equipped ceramics studio, (although these days its used mostly for making gift-mugs for the holidays). I like to use humour, irony, and vibrant colours to convey complicated or sensitive narratives and ideas. I like to contradict expectations by asking a lot of “What if” questions. I enjoy telling stories and making connections through my art, and fully immerse myself in the act of creating.

Dream bodies statement

Dream bodies is an attempt to bridge the gap between our waking thoughts, and our unconscious urges. It explores that space where we are free to connect with our natural instincts and fantasies, without restriction. Despite our suits and skyscrapers, we are still natural, instinct driven beings, repressing and repackaging our natural, animal instincts to fit into socially acceptable roles. At night, when we dream, our minds are free to explore and experience these same feelings, in ways that can be scary, or exciting, or pleasurable, or nightmarish… feelings that come from our instinctual sides. Dream Bodies is about visualizing and interpreting these surreal encounters with our true selves.