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About the artist

Jacquelyn Trowell

I’m not trying to be famous or save the world, but if I can touch others with a piece of art, memorialize a memory or bring joy to someone—then I am accomplished in every sense of the word.

For me, I find comfort in translating my thoughts, feelings and emotions into a visible piece of art. With every painting or drawing I do, I feel like I have opened up and shared a little piece of who I am with the world.

My Background

Born in Grants Pass Oregon, Jacquelyn always had a love of anything creative. Much of her younger years were spent at her grandmother’s kitchen table helping with family craft items such as pressed floral pictures, pine needle basket making, sourdough figures and of course — art. As she grew, traditional art became her love and in many ways her escape. She found that art was a way to express her emotions and purge herself into a picture. Although animals were her subjects to draw as a child, Jacquelyn later gravitated to portraits. She found faces to be interesting and was fascinated by how just changing one little angle or adding in a line/crease could change the entire feeling of the piece.

At 13, Jacquelyn moved to Fairfield California and was exposed to more that the art world had to offer. On one visit to San Francisco, she fell in love with the various art style and the artists. All she wanted to be was an artist and free to create. Being an only child to a single parent, money was tight so most of what Jacquelyn learned was from books or high school art class. She drew constantly, improving her skills with every stroke.

In 1991, Jacquelyn’s mother married a Canadian Naval Officer and soon after she moved with them to Ottawa Ontario after a brief stay in Victoria BC.

By 1993, Jacquelyn found herself to be a single parent and put her traditional art on hold to pursue an associate degree in graphic design. For the next 13 years, she rarely drew as her career as a graphic designer was the focus and fulfilled her creative needs.

In 2010, her world fell apart. Her mother was diagnosed with stage 4 Ovarian Cancer. She searched for comfort and turned back to her art, mostly drawing for her mom as she was her #1 fan and always her biggest supporter. She was always happy to have a piece of Jacquelyn’s art – even if it was coming from a source of sorrow. It would heal them both even if just briefly. An illustration of the dragonfly wrapped in the teal ribbon was just one of the illustrations Jacquelyn did exclusively for her mother when she was in the middle of her fight. Jacquelyn’s dad has since had it tattooed on his upper arm.

Jacquelyn’s mother passed away in 2013 from ovarian cancer. In her grief, her art exploded with more raw emotion and refinement than it ever had before. In 2014, Jacquelyn decided to go public, sell her work and give 20% of each sell to Ovarian Cancer Canada in honour of her mother, Barbara Ann Bird.

It wasn’t until 2014 that Jacquelyn contacted Lynn Griffiths, the co-chair of the Ottawa Chapter of the Walk of Hope to be a volunteer that she realized her art was worthy. Jacquelyn donated a black and white oil painting of a sunflower to be given to the top fundraiser that year

My Added Interests

Besides being a mom, artist, graphic designer and a “every ready” volunteer, I also love the great outdoors — and animals! I swear, if I had the room, I would hoard them! Besides the family of squirrels I have living in my backyard who visit my kitchen window daily, looking for their peanuts, I am a proud mama to 4 rescue animals.

My Doberman Angel
My Pup

Angel is my Doberman and was only 4 months old when we rescued her in 2012. She is now the most spoiled pup you will meet and is a big couch potato.

My Bird

Grandma Bird, our Cockatiel, whom the kids named them after their Grandma because their last name is – wait for it… Bird!

My Horses

Diva (L) & Princess (R) are my giant fur babies and my salvation. I grew up with horses and some of the best childhood memories are riding with my mom.

walk of hope sunflower
Notable Mention

From 2014 to 2016, I was honoured to present a special painting that I created, & donated, to the top fundraiser for Ovarian Cancer Canada Walk of Hope – National Capital Region (Ottawa).

Past Displays and Appearances