J-Ray Designs E-Portfolio
Jackie Ray (WA Artist)

About Me

Jackie Ray (She/Her) is an LGBTQIA+ neurodivergent Australian visual artist who was awarded "Most-Industry Ready Award" in 2022 by Artsource which is presented to students from each fine art course at Western Australian Institutions. Four graduate students were selected from University of Western Australia, Curtin University, Edith Cowan University and North Metropolitan TAFE. As a graduate of Edith Cowan University Jackie was chosen to receive this prestigious award.

As well as her passion for the arts she is very active within the community and was awarded ECU Vice Chancellor Student's Award 2022 (Special Commendation for Contribution to University Life) for her volunteer work over the last three years across campuses. 

At the start of her career in 2012, she began drawing and sketching images, and found that creating art had a positive influence on her mental health and this allowed her to engage in a platform to explore her emotions when other forms of expression failed her. Later, she began to rediscover her passion for photography and her attention to different shades of light and dark in a world that is often misunderstood.

In 2014, Jackie exhibited nature photography at Canning Show Art Awards and later an acrylic abstract drawing “Madness” at Bayswater Art Awards later in the year. Two years later in 2016 she displayed more work this time exploring a different medium oil pastel drawings “Darkest Moment” and “Destruction” at the Gosnells Art Exhibition here in Perth, Western Australia.

During her time studying at Edith Cowan University Jackie was selected to exhibit her printmaking skills on the “Map of My Unconscious” series at 2017 ECU Arts Hum Graduate Exhibition. In 2019, she was selected again to showcase her work; this time focusing on numerous Artists Books “Imagination” and “Junk City” which centered on the concept of environmental pollution around building sites.

In 2022, Jackie silent auctioned two photographs “Lost” and “Found”, which concentrated on abandoned sites and showcased her graduate project on "Urban Nature". One of her photographs Lost (2022) was sold and proceeds were donated to ECU VISARTS22 Grad Show Fundraiser.

In her final year she was immersed in her graduate art project "Urban Nature" which explored contemporary art concepts of beauty, decay, regeneration, places of neglect and the combination of urban and natural environments. Her work was on display during the ECU Arts Hum Graduate Exhibition in 2022.
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