One day in a Studio: Jen Prior

Canadian artist Jen Prior attended Sheridan's BAA Illustration program before emerging into the Toronto art community in the early 2010s. Her works in large format acrylic explore themes of loneliness, nature, and a subtle complexity under veils of visual pleasantry. Jen has often felt like a wallflower to the human race, often watching the modern world from the edges of nature with a longing for human connection yet a lack of discernment for how to proceed. We interviewed Jen to learn more about her practice, inspirations, and what she is working on today.

The night before my studio days, I take a little time to plan out my workflow so that I can jump right into painting in the morning. Becoming a Mom has made me very efficient with my studio time, helping me better understand my work pace and how much I can produce with a set schedule. I always start my day with a coffee and family time before starting my creative work. Since music heavily influences my mood, I take extra time to assess what sound backdrop will parallel the energy of the piece I'm working on at that moment. Lately, I've been more conscious of the themes that seem to keep showing up in my artwork and have leaned into that more as I deepen my commitment to my practice. It's like getting to know my true, unfiltered self over the years. My curiosity and openness to learning about other cultures and ways of living make me often question my own identity, so my artwork has become a place for me to ground myself and find patterns in the work that subconsciously land on the canvas, naturally removing any obstacles of self-doubt.

What a lovely question! I would say it feels very homey, but it doesn't reflect my art direction at this time. My studio was originally designed for my former floral business, so it has a very delicate and airy feel to it. It has a calming feeling, but the kids' toys give away that my work life and home life are interconnected as a parent to a young child. I've learned over the years that you can't focus too much on the perfect details when setting up a workspace; otherwise, you'll never get to the work itself. I had good intentions this year to clean & organize my studio, but it's a bit haphazard right now because I'm eager to produce and start meeting deadlines. I've realized this is what beauty truly is, through things being used; a space that does not hide its purpose. It does reflect my multifaceted personality, though with a mix of clean/minimalist/feminine and a more chaotic/feral/functional workstation. Day to day I dance between these two sides of my personality, which seems to be represented in my work between mischievous creatures and light, minimalist, nature-inspired motifs.

3. Do you prefer a minimalist or maximalist set-up and why?

For displaying my art, I absolutely love a minimalist setup that celebrates a singular piece, allowing breathing room for the viewer to take in the meaning. I like provocative artwork because it commands your attention and often begs to be the inspiration for a room, whereas softer artwork usually complements a preexisting space. For my studio setup, I like lots of mediums to be nearby so I can see colours that interact well on my workstation, but I don't want other artwork in the vicinity. If I have other paintings nearby, it can often force me into feeling like I need to make them overly cohesive. Usually, I maintain some sense of cohesion in my collections by streamlining a broader colour palette for that portion of the year and having an overarching theme.

4. How did you get interested in your medium?

I have painted with acrylics since I was quite young. It's a bit of an internal struggle for me because while I love the ease of acrylics, fast drying time, vivid colours and longevity, it can be difficult to manipulate to create smooth gradients and blending. I am curious to see what new materials may come out in the next few decades because our younger generations are more interested in creating products and businesses that value sustainability and the environment. I plan to experiment with oil paints this year to see if it's a better fit for executing my ideas moving forward. Another avenue I'm curious to explore is recycled materials, particularly post-consumer waste plastics, which do not break down easily and are rarely recycled. I'm very interested in better educating myself on archival materials that are already produced so that the work also becomes inevitably more interesting and interconnected to my values.

Masked under seemingly innocent folk art motifs, my sentient spirits emerge from subconscious dreamscapes and often represent the "inner demons" we learn to make friends with in order to find inner peace in this life.

After creating a collection this year that was inspired by my daughter and inner child, I realized that my work is still incredibly similar to what I made when I was young. Aside from going through the classic artist path of trying to master realism in my late adolescence, I've always loved energetic palettes and creatures inspired by nature. I focused for a while on more literal animal figures, which were very popular but became exhaustive after working that way for several years. After delving more into the fine art world, I've learned that not very many artists have uninhibited creative ideas, or at least the courage to express them. I've always been attracted to analogous palettes with a contrast accent, organic lines, negative space and large gradations, so I can't help myself but continue to create with these elements.

I love flat brushes and detail brushes, and I usually only use 3 brushes total on my paintings. Nothing too complicated. My palette seems to be whatever tupperware lid I have found in the basement, which feels on brand for my primitive nature. 

Yes, I think we all go through blocks as professional artists. It's tough to have an endless flow of good ideas for a long duration of time. The last 6 years, I had a major block due to my following really not responding well when I diversified from my signature style, so I felt stuck. This year I've been trying to better understand my relevance in pop culture, which is causing some inner tension, but I find it helpful to just stay consistent and work earnestly. The more I overplan and overthink, the more in my own way I get. I have to remind myself that it's not about the end result and how that looks, it's about how I feel when I paint. Am I having fun? Is it calming? Is it genuine to my own experiences and story? If not, I need to reevaluate my direction and give myself reminders before I start each day. Allowing days to go be spontaneously and travel, even if it's just in my own city, can be a great way to expel stale energy and refuel new ideas.

I recently found out about Pierre Boncompain while I was looking for something on Etsy and ended up purchasing a new old stock coffee table book of his. He has a stunning French romantic style that feels very unfinished but intentionally so. I love his approach to figure painting, and how he allows the colours and forms to dominate over the details. It gives the viewer a lovely experience to see it almost as an abstract from far away, growing more intriguing as they look closer at the linework to uncover the figures in natural settings.

Another creative I've really admired is Sophie Ashby of Studio Ashby in London, UK. She has such a unique background in fine art and takes inspiration from many cultures to create a whole new conversation that we haven't seen before in interior design. Her use of isolated electric colours mixed in with earthy neutrals feels fresh and of-the-moment. These unique colour stories are whimsically intertwined with visual movement created with textures and overlaid patterns, while still maintaining a peaceful feeling by utilizing negative space. Her work has left me nearly stumped as to how she builds up such complex yet simple spaces in her signature style while also accommodating the unique needs and personalities of her clients.

Currently, I'm working on my first diptych painting, which I'm having a lot of fun with. I'm trying to get into very large canvas paintings by the end of the year, so it's a bit of a learning curve to understand the most efficient way to get canvases, whether premade or hand-built, and how to prepare for shipping this scale of art. I'm really enjoying the idea of working larger than life to create such impactful pieces that change our interior landscape and pull you into the piece. Right now, in 2025, we live in an attention economy, and I think there's something so beautiful about creating an artwork that resonates with a person so much that they'd want to be with that painting every day to lift their spirits or set the tone for their days. To have that be a choice of attention is powerful, because so much of our online lives is involuntary attention-seeking ads and subliminal messages. It's quite an honour to have that gift to give to people, so I want to make sure my work is as strong as possible for my collectors. This may end up being based on oil paint or a mix of different media so we'll see where the year takes me!