chantal wolf
artist-poet-author
about
"creativity is the way I share my soul with the world" - brene brown
My name is Chantal Wolf, and I am an artist. I work mainly in watercolour, acrylic and pen, finding joy, fascination and deep satisfaction through the creative process by following the what-ifs, happy accidents and possibilities.
Through art, I open, unravel and express all that lies hidden within. I access and explore the gifts of creativity to connect to my feeling of aliveness and I nurture and trust the brave voice inside me. I honour the beautiful, the ordinary, the magnificent, the imperfect and the unnoticed..... all of it.
When I begin a painting, I have a view in mind....but often something new will emerge in an unexpected surprise. Playing with materials and their properties is essential to my process. As I play, I experiment with colour, shapes and marks, lines and texture. I listen as the painting guides me. Whether it speaks with a whisper or a shout, I remain open to allowing the painting to be what it wants to be.
It is a dance with curiosity, wonder and joy, an outward expression of my inner world.
Art has been my constant companion ever since I first picked up a crayon. It has led me on a beautiful adventure...a journey of personal and creative discovery. I was born in the UK then emigrated to Canada with my parents as a young child, I spent most of my life in the Toronto area then moved to Collingwood, Ontario in 2019. Inspired by an exceptional art teacher in high school, I studied illustration at Sheridan College but I am mostly self-taught. Dreams of writing and illustrating children's books were soon tucked away as work and family life took centre stage. Later, art often served as a powerful point of connection while working in education supporting students with special needs.
In 2016, a diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease reignited my creativity. Rather than casting a dark shadow, this news gave me a permission slip. It was the nudge I needed to reclaim the artist in me. Now is my time to explore and expand my vision, to breathe life into what is waiting to unfold. I am finding my way to what feels true, discovering me and the creative possibilities feeding my soul.
I am grateful to be able to share my journey with you. To explore the stories that emerge through my art and to connect through our shared human experience. There is much more to come in this beautiful adventure.... like discovering my poet's voice and awakening a new language with my book, "Painted Words, Poetry, Art and Parkinson's" (published 2022)
-more information and link to purchase on 'home' and 'book' page



Exhibitions / Awards
-
2022 published author "Painted Words, Poetry, Art and Parkinson's"
-
2021 Illustrations for "The Magic of Special Children" by Astrid Cheney published August 2021
-
2021 Murray J Clerkson Award recipient, BMFA
-
2021 BMFA 41st Juried Art Show
-
Weaving Bridges
-
From Within
-
-
2020 Collingwood Art Crawl
-
2020 BMFA 40th Juried Art Show
-
2nd Place - Centred
-
With Quiet Certainty
-
-
2020 Parkinson's Canada ebook "You Are Not Alone"
-
Pathways
-
-
2019 Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts - Group Show
-
2019 Collingwood Art Crawl
-
2017 Quiet Revolution - image selected - Quiet Art Challenge
