LETTERS FROM EDEN
See all of Jaclyn's artwork in her art collection titled "Letters from Eden".
Letters from Eden has been an ongoing project for the past two years. It began with a simple thought that the words envelop and envelope are almost the same. I really loved this small play on words.
To envelop is to surround, to hold, to cover something gently. An envelope does something similar. It holds a letter, carries communication, contains a relationship between two people. It can hide something, or reveal it. It can travel across distance, carrying words, thoughts and feelings from one person to another.
There is something deeply human about a letter. An envelope can speak of separation, but also of connection. It shows that someone has taken the time to think about you and wants to connect with you. In this way, I began to think of letters as something like prayer, talking to God and finding his reply. I imagined that I would find a letter and it it would contain a memory or a thought from God.
As I lived with this idea, other works began to return to my thoughts. During Covid, I made a body of work called Journey Through the Garden. I had always felt that this work was unfinished, that the work was not yet resolved.
Within those paintings, a red-haired woman appeared. At the time, I did not understand why she was there. I understand her clearer now.
She has become, for me, a kind of Eve—not simply the biblical Eve, but a figure for all of us representing humanity. A woman with flashes of memory or a place she may have forgotten.
The garden has become an important symbol within this work. In the Genesis story, humanity could have been placed anywhere, and yet we are placed in a garden. I find myself asking, why a garden?
A garden is a place of origin, but it is also a way of being. It grows. Seeds multiply. Things are nurtured, tended and given space to become what they were made to be. A garden creates beauty and gives something of itself to the world.
Perhaps Eden is not simply a place we once inhabited, but something we are continually being invited to remember.
These paintings feel to me like fragments of memory—pieces of something we once knew but have forgotten. Perhaps we have forgotten how to see one another, how to care for one another, how to live in relationship with each other and with the world around us. These letters are our memoires, our connection to God and our connection to each other and the world around us.
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Tree of Life An original Tree of Life painting created in soft pastel with delicate touches of gold leaf, layered onto high-quality pastel paper. The artwork is presented in a beautifully hand-painted green frame.
Painted with oil on board and framed with hand painted green frame.
Painted in watercolour and gouache on watercolour paper, this original artwork is presented in a hand-painted green frame. It depicts a quiet moment at dusk between a woman, seen in silhouette, and an owl — a symbol of protection and wisdom. They are brought together in a common union, connected by the light that falls upon them. A sense of divine presence illuminating them.
Painted in watercolour and gouache on watercolour paper, this original artwork is framed in a hand-painted green frame. The painting explores the shadows of a person within a garden — fleeting traces of a presence, like the lingering impression of someone who has passed through. The shadows evoke the transient nature of memory: how moments, people, and places can fade, yet leave behind a quiet sense of having been there.
A Love Letter Mixed media on handmade envelope · Letters from Eden · Hand-painted green wooden frame A vivid bouquet of pink and mixed flowers spills from an open envelope, as though the flowers themselves are the words. A love letter between humanity and the divine
Green Memories Oil on handmade fabric envelope · Hand-painted green frame Vibrant green water reflects the surrounding foliage, creating a shifting world of colour and light.
The Evening Before Oil on handmade fabric envelope, Hand-painted green frame Under a moon-filled sky, a lush landscape disappears into the darkness. The stillness of night holds a sense of anticipation — as though something is about to awaken.
A Winged Memory Oil on board, Hand-painted green frame A bluebird sits surrounded by foliage, turning back as though caught in a moment of remembrance.
Listening to the Flowers Pastel on paper, Hand-painted green frame A woman presses her ear to Nepeta flowers, as if listening to their quiet secrets. A tender meditation on our intimate connection with nature.
