jenr8 bio/cv
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I always considered myself an artist and I have always enjoyed taking photographs. I started when I was a kid and have been experimenting ever since. I was the yearbook photographer in grade 8 and then I took a photography course at Georgian College when I was in grade 12. I went to Brooks Institute of Film and Photography after attending Guelph University for a year. I was at Brooks for 3 years and graduated with a BA in film. I changed my major from photography to film-making because I was uninspired by corporate commercial photography.

I have been living in downtown Toronto for over 10 years with Nic. After taking a 3D animation course at the Academy of Design in 1996, I started taking photos of the graffiti I found. This lead to other things such as breakdancing and bands. Experimenting with my Holga gave me some wicked multiple exposure effects. Now I'm experimenting with my digital camera.

My joy is in the spontaneity and immediacy of photography. It is the moment of taking the photo that excites me and for the most part the product is secondary. I move and adjust while I'm shooting and this produces some interesting effects and leaves a large part of the process up to the materials themselves. This gives me pictures I never could have planned or predicted. This seems more natural and organic to me. I also like to shoot people in motion so that this adds another element into the mix. Recently I have been digitally adjusting my photos which continues this process after the actual shoot has taken place. So I see it this way, the movement is a dance, the adjustments are tuning, and the enhancements are mixing. Taking photographs is like making music to me.


SOLO SHOWS
  • Vivid Visions photo show at The Magic Oven, 270 Dupont St., July 2007 - present
  • Urban Abstractions photo show at The Magic Oven, 270 Dupont St., May 2007 - present
  • Vivid Visions photo show at The Victory Cafe, 581 Markham St., May 2007
  • Vivid Visions photo show at Starbucks, 732 Queen St. W, April 2007
  • Graffiti photo show at 6th Break&Enter competition, August 6, 2005
  • Graffiti photo show at 5th Break&Enter competition, April 25, 2004
  • Graffiti photo show at 4th Break&Enter competition, July 19, 2003
  • Breakdancing photo show at Planet Aid clothing store in Kensington Market, Feb 2003 - Aug 2003
  • Graffiti photo show at 3rd Break&Enter competition, January 11, 2003
  • Polygraf photo show at Planet Aid clothing store on Yonge St. - upstairs, Nov 2002 - Aug 2003
  • Graffiti photo show at 2nd Break&Enter competition, April 20, 2002
  • Polygraf photo show at 49th Parallel clothing store, October 2001 and Jan - Feb 2002
  • Graffiti photo show at Break&Enter break-dancing competition, September 21, 2001
  • Photography show Urban Decay at Axis Gallery&Grill, July 1 - September 1, 2001
  • Photo Festival: Contact 2001 show Urban Decay at Woolfitt's Gallery, May 2 - May 13, 2001
  • Photography show Guerilla Art Safari at Vice clothing store, May 1 - May 31, 2001

    • GROUP SHOWS
  • Buzz art and music festival, June 25, 2005
  • West 49th Skateboarding Competition in Mississauga, August 23, 2003
  • Toronto Artscape's Queen West Art Crawl at Trinity Bellwoods Park, August 23, 2003
  • Graffiti collaboration with Lady K for Alchemist's Arena - Words Against War event, March 29, 2003
  • Artist's group show at Parallel clothing store, October 10 - November 10, 2002
  • Artroot group show at Scarborough Civic Centre, March 1 - March 16, 2002

    • PUBLISHED
  • Featured in The Art Fix, issue 78, September 5th, 2005
  • 2 photos of t-shirts (graf artist and dj) on streetgrease.com, March 2004
  • Poster photo for Family Music on York University Theatre Glendon website, January 2004
  • Featured artist on eroplay.com, November 2003
  • Urban Decay photos used for background images on website emotto.com, November 2003
  • Production photos for Alice on York University Theatre Glendon website, November 2003
  • 2 photos of breakdancing crew in Backspin magazine, August 2003
  • 3 photos on Telefunk Live at OM cd cover, May 2003
  • Photo in book Visions of the Soul, published by The International Library of Photography, Nov. 2002, pg.3
  • Graffiti photo used on clothing tags for Randy River jeanswear, Sept. 2002
  • 3 graffiti pieces in Non-Stop magazine, Switzerland, Spring 2002, "Street Wars" pgs 20 & 21
  • Feature photograph in Catholic NewTimes newspaper, vol.25 No.18, Nov. 18, 2001, Arts&Culture pg.16
  • Graffiti article and photos in Neksis magazine, vol.1 issue 2, Aug. 2001, "Biggest Bomb in Toronto" pg.8
  • Front cover photo and article in Neksis magazine, vol.1 issue 1 , July 2001, "Graffiti Archeologist" pg.13
  • Urban Decay article and photos in Barefoot zine, Winter/Spring 2001 issue, pgs 22, 23 and back cover
  • Graffiti photos published in Adbusters magazine, vol.9 No.33, Dec./Jan. 2001, "Creative Resistance" pg.66

    • INTERVIEWS
  • Interview for meanmugg.net, February 2004
  • Featured artist on Luver.com, November 2003
  • Interview for Underdog-online.com, November 2003
  • Interview for Universal Metropolis online magazine, September 2003
  • Guerilla Art Safari interview on Inside Entertainment tv show on Global CH, June 8, 2001 7:30pm

    • EDUCATION
    International Academy of Design, Toronto, 1995-1996
  • 3D animation and F/X editing using Softimage and Eddie

    Brooks Institute of Photography, Santa Barbara, 1991-1994
  • 4x5 and 35mm black & white photography and printing
  • 16mm film production and editing including script writing, sound mixing and animation
  • VHS and Beta video production, editing and mixing

    University of Guelph, Guelph, 1990-1991
  • major: philosophy, minor: economics