Artist Statement

My work maps the "thin spaces" between profound loss, ancestral memory, and the restorative power of the present. While my earlier practice was a necessary immersion in the silent architecture of mourning, that foundation has evolved into a sacred joy rooted in the tactile experience of motherhood. I am fascinated by cellular memory, the way we carry the resilience of our grandmothers within our own bodies.

In my studio, I hold and then paint nostalgic objects that anchor me: heirloom jewelry and keepsakes, translating these physical touchstones into pigment. My process is one of addition and erasure, layering and removing thin veils of colour to mimic the natural weathering of the Atlantic coast. By integrating images of my daughters over the foundational tones of my Blue Series, I create a visual dialogue between different eras of life, tethering my lineage to the light of the East Coast.

Biography

Halifax-based painter Angelene Humphrey translates the intersections of memory and motherhood into portraits. In her latest work, she layers vibrant colour, representing new memories and current joy, directly over foundational blue paintings rooted in past trauma. By keeping these physical layers visible, she transforms the canvas into a living record of healing and reclamation.

A graduate of OCAD University (Honours BFA) and Nipissing University (BEd), where she earned top honors for academic and teaching excellence, Humphrey’s practice balances formal skill with profound conceptual depth. Her 2020 solo exhibition, A Geography of Grief-Love, established her as a powerful figurative voice documenting infant loss. Formerly a visual arts teacher at Cambrian College in Sudbury and now a visual arts teacher with HRCE, she exhibits nationally and internationally. Through atmospheric, tactile compositions, Humphrey explores the quiet power of place and the ancestral lineages that anchor a collective sense of belonging.