JoEllen Brydon

My family came over from Ireland in the 1920s and settled on a fruit farm near Beamsville, Ontario. They brought with them the folkloric traditions that were ingrained in their culture. There was always a poem, a song or a bit of harmless gossip that would illustrate or celebrate the idiosyncrasies in human nature. My practice is derived from an upbringing surrounded by this cast of characters. I focus on projects that explore community narrative and pay special attention, to the telling of the tale—this, in my opinion, is where the truth lies. My aim is to recapture forgotten histories and simple stories, which become woven into the fabric of a culture.

 

JoEllen Brydon was born in Toronto and has lived most of her life in Cavan, Ontario, Canada. Throughout her career she’s completed a large body of paintings and installations that explore anecdotal stories as well as unique aspects of Canadian history. These have been used in academic research as well as cited in text and history books. Brydon’s work is represented in two national collections; The Art Bank of Canada and the Canadian Museum of History as well as many private collections in North America and the UK.