Jean Ottosen resides in Nova Scotia, Canada. She spent a lot of time handling textiles as a child. One of her earlier memories is that of being fascinated by the light bouncing off gold threads in a set of drapes.
Jean's fascination with light, colour and movement was further developed by introduction to the work of the Impressionists, the Group of Seven, and Emily Carr during her university years. She received her B.A. from the University of Alberta in 1980.
Jean creates artwork on diverse themes. The key element tying them all together are her use of colour. Jean uses a variety of fibres, including her own hand spun and hand dyed yarns. She often hand dyes the wool, silk and nylon in her pieces as well. Jean hooks primarily on primitive linen.
A seminal moment for Jean was a serendipitous meeting with Barry Colpitts on a trip home to Nova Scotia for a visit with family. His use of vivid colour, patterns and simple shapes in woodwork inspired her to continue focusing on colour, pattern and shape...only in fibre.
Jean's main focus is on people and their interactions with the environment - whether it be a sense of place created by structures they have built, or how they co-exist in the environment around them. Her fascination stems from her natural curiosity and was fostered by geography and anthropology courses in university.
Jean's fascination with light, colour and movement was further developed by introduction to the work of the Impressionists, the Group of Seven, and Emily Carr during her university years. She received her B.A. from the University of Alberta in 1980.
Jean creates artwork on diverse themes. The key element tying them all together are her use of colour. Jean uses a variety of fibres, including her own hand spun and hand dyed yarns. She often hand dyes the wool, silk and nylon in her pieces as well. Jean hooks primarily on primitive linen.
A seminal moment for Jean was a serendipitous meeting with Barry Colpitts on a trip home to Nova Scotia for a visit with family. His use of vivid colour, patterns and simple shapes in woodwork inspired her to continue focusing on colour, pattern and shape...only in fibre.
Jean's main focus is on people and their interactions with the environment - whether it be a sense of place created by structures they have built, or how they co-exist in the environment around them. Her fascination stems from her natural curiosity and was fostered by geography and anthropology courses in university.