Please join us as we unveil the mixed media work of Norfolk County artist Jen Lados that will hang in the long bar for the 2025 season at Lighthouse Festival Theatre in Port Dover. Champagne and light refreshments will be served and Jen’s artwork will be for sale.
When: Sunday, February 9th | 2 PM to 4 PM
Where: Lighthouse Festival Theatre – Long Bar | 247 Main Street, Port Dover ON
Jen Lados’ artistic journey is one of passion, play, and self-expression, deeply rooted in her Norfolk County (Delhi) upbringing. From an early age, she embraced creativity, honing her skills and growing into a key member of the local arts community. With a unique and self-taught approach to art, Jen’s work reflects a love for play, experimentation and exploration. Her multi-layered canvases, rich in texture and color, often blend mixed media like pastels, paint, ink, fabric, and resin, which allows her to create complex, playful, and thought-provoking pieces. Inspired by nature, storytelling, and pop culture. Whether displayed in local exhibitions or internationally, Jen’s artwork invites viewers into her vibrant, imaginative world, capturing ordinary objects, landscapes and simple pleasures that surround her. Her multi-layered canvases are often infused with humorous elements and playful images allowing the viewer to join in her abstract, sophisticated yet childlike exploration of life and the world in which we live.
“Looking Out My Back Door” – Mixed media paintings on canvas
Jen’s series, which began in 2020, emerged from a deeply challenging time. As the world faced the onset of Covid-19, she was also facing her mother’s terminal illness. During this period, Jen found it nearly impossible to focus on her art in the way she once had, resorting instead to the act of simply making marks, pouring ink, mixing colors, and tearing up magazines. The process was cathartic, though often frustrating, as she covered and painted over canvases repeatedly. Beneath these layers are many stories.
After the Covid lockdown, Jen found an unexpected spark of inspiration when she saw the image of an owl and peacock emerging from the chaotic ink stains on her canvas. Drawing from her vast collection of ephemera, vintage books, magazines, and clip art, she began cutting, collecting, and assembling new works. What started as an intuitive response to the mess around her soon became a reflection of the world she was seeing through her own windows—both literally and figuratively.
In this series, Jen found solace and joy amidst the darkness and uncertainty of the times. The works, infused with elements of music, pop culture, and vintage glamour, not only convey her personal journey of renewal and hope but also aim to bring humor, comfort, and connection to others. She hopes that viewers will smile, feel seen, and be reminded that they are not alone in the face of life’s challenges.
Please note tickets are not required to attend this opening reception as this is a drop in event.
Visit Jen Lados’ website at www.jenlados.ca
Follow Jen Lados on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JLados
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenlados/
