Artist Statement

My collage work is rooted in physical process and storytelling. I work primarily with hand-cut vintage print ephemera, including books, magazines, and other printed matter, preserving the textures, colours, and constraints of the original materials. Each piece begins with sourcing and cataloguing imagery. I sift through found paper, isolate visual fragments, and allow themes and compositions to emerge through intuitive association. This tactile process of selecting and arranging fragments enables me to construct scenes that feel both familiar and strange, reframing the past through a contemporary lens.

Though collage is often associated with spontaneity, my practice is deliberate and methodical. I aim to create work that invites close looking and curiosity, where a single shift in scale or position can alter the reading of a piece. I’m interested in how imagery takes on new meaning when removed from its original context, and how recombining those images can invite reinterpretation.

Biography

Jessica Steele is a collage artist based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She holds a BFA in Fibres from Concordia University and a Diploma of Fine Arts from Dawson College. Working primarily with hand-cut vintage print ephemera, Jessica explores how meaning shifts when familiar imagery is separated from its original context and recombined into new relationships. Her process is tactile and methodical, involving the sourcing, cutting, and arranging of printed fragments. Jessica’s work has been shown in group exhibitions across Halifax and collected in Canada and the U.S. She is one of four emerging artists selected for the 2025–26 Visual Arts Nova Scotia Mentorship Program, a competitive 10-month initiative supporting the professional development of early-career artists. Jessica will serve as Artist-in-Residence at Pavia Gallery in winter 2026.