Edition Eight Feature
Words by: Jynae Bergeron
Location: Okanagan, British Columbia and Saskatchewan, Canada
Photo Credit: ©Jynae Bergeron @artandairplanes

Influenced by her travels and the landscapes she’s called home, Jynae Bergeron’s pyrography and woodworking creations at Art and Airplanes celebrate her devotion to the natural world.

I was born to the flatlands of southern Saskatchewan, which gave me the opportunity to collect (with permission) the heavily weathered barn wood from the century-old, abandoned buildings that spread across the open fields. These old barn structures are usually left to be pushed into a pile and burnt away by the farmers who own them. Instead, I take that beautifully textured wood and turn it into art that represents landscapes quite the opposite of where it came from. The pictures I create not only tell a story of our natural world but are also made from our natural world – in a reclaimed, Earth-conscious sort of way.

Although I’m originally from the prairies, my art focuses on Pacific Northwest landscapes and animals. My love for the West has been immense ever since I visited North America’s dramatic mountain ranges as a child. That love led me to pack up and move west to British Columbia the day after I graduated from high school. But my journey didn’t stop there. Throughout my twenties, I prioritised travel and visited as many places around the world as my wallet would take me.

That’s where the name Art and Airplanes comes from. Many years before I humoured the possibility of making art my career, I chose the name as an umbrella term for a means of sharing my creations and my travels. Once I gradually made the transition to full-time artist, Art and Airplanes seemed to stick. Now the focus is mostly my creative journey rather than my physical ones.