Artist Bio
Jess Graham is a Canadian artist and writer based in Tiny Beaches, Ontario. With a professional background in business and entrepreneurship, Jess was an integral part of her family’s business from 2009 to 2024. Although her formal education is rooted in business, her lifelong dedication to artistic exploration and creative practice has led her to pursue a full-time career in the arts.
Deeply inspired by the natural world and a strong advocate for environmental awareness, Jess’s work reflects a deep connection to the outdoors and a reverence for everyday beauty. Her multidisciplinary practice incorporates both visual and written mediums, often centering themes of memory, wonder, and the quiet magic found in daily life.
Creative expression has been a constant thread throughout her life. From an early age, Jess has experimented with a variety of artistic forms, developing a unique voice that blends personal storytelling with a sense of universal connection. Her current work is driven by a desire to create meaningful, uplifting experiences that encourage viewers to slow down and see themselves and the world around them, with greater appreciation.
Jess continues to develop her practice through ongoing exploration, commissions, and series-based projects that speak to both individual narratives and collective emotion.
Artist Statement
At the heart of my work is a desire to explore what gives life meaning. Whether through nature-inspired visuals or reflective written pieces, I create to hold space for deep thought, emotional connection, and quiet transformation. My art invites viewers to slow down, look inward, and recognize beauty, not only in the world around them, but within themselves.
Rooted along the shores of Georgian Bay, Ontario, and shaped by a lifelong creative instinct, my practice draws on the rhythms of the natural world as mirrors for the human experience. I am especially drawn to moments that evoke self-love, vulnerability, and clarity, expressed through texture, tone, and symbolism.
With a background in entrepreneurship and over 15 years in a family-run business, I bring intention and structure to a process that is ultimately about openness, feeling, and human connection. My hope is that each piece offers not just something to look at, but something to feel, reminding people that they are seen, and that there is magic in their everyday story.
The Process
My practice explores the way we connect with nature and the importance of that connection in navigating who we are meant to be in this world. I work primarily with pen and ink but often experiment with mixed media work, including acrylic and oil paints. I use whatever medium feels right for each specific piece, with no set reason behind the decision, other than a feeling. Through my work I aim to create a slow moment of reflection. Reflection of self, reflection of nature and reflection of what is important in this life. Something that is often so different, yet exactly the same for all of us. When creating a piece, my process involves a lot of thinking. Thinking about a feeling, idea or concept I want to illustrate and bring to life. Oftentimes to further explain and connect to the person I desire to be, but also to put out a beacon of nature loving passion, in hopes to continue to find like minded people who help me to grow. I aim to make people feel deeply connected to something in a way they cannot explain. When creating a piece I rarely plan but instead begin with a couple marks on the surface and I let the piece guide me where it feels like it should go. This does result in some pieces that never see the light of day, but on the beautiful occasion, it creates something even I am surprised by and excited to share. Lastly, I write. I love to explore the ideas that lead me to create even deeper by writing out the poetic thoughts behind the creation. Often offering insight on a reflection of my own, experienced in nature.