Jay Harper (b. 1991, Oxford, England) studied fashion in Falmouth before interning with Vivienne Westwood. After a year of life in the city, she retreated back to the calm of Cornwall, where she began to paint. The meditative state and calmness she finds in painting is what comes across in her work, and while she loves to play with different subjects and techniques, it’s this innate feeling of peace and calm which radiates through each piece. 

Jay paints instinctively, focusing on capturing a feeling, so will often use different methods dependent on mood. Sometimes painting from a direct reference, other times planning an idea in her mind, and letting that come through in a more free-form spirit. She paints with oil on wood, often wiping away paint she’s applied to reveal pre-primed colours, and playing with the idea of when a work is finished, ever careful to not paint past the feeling.