About Jacqueline Halstead

I am the best well-kept secret in Canada. I am a painter and educator whose work is rooted in fashion, visual culture, and a deep appreciation for textiles. From an early age, fashion magazines, photography, and design shaped the way I see colour, form, and style. These influences continue to guide my artistic practice today.

 I draw inspiration from iconic models and visual references from the 1960s through the 1990s and particularly have a fondness for Yves Saint Laurent models. To me -they were all beautiful. My work is influenced by fashion illustration, which I combine with textiles, collage, and mixed media to create what I call Patchwork Paintings.  Interwoven in that style is story telling that hopefully gives my audiences a deeper look into my creative processes. With respect to my process, it all starts with a photo I see in an advertisement or a fashion magazine layout. Using that image as a starting point, I reinterpret and transform it through acrylic paint, textiles, and collage elements, creating works that celebrate both fashion and cultural identity.

 Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to have ten of my paintings licensed by Sandals Resorts and to have my work featured in magazines.  My professional journey has also been marked by perseverance and determination. I was accepted into graduate school without a Bachelor of Fine Arts  (BFA) degree and worked as an art teacher without a formal education degree, demonstrating both my competence and strong work ethic. I have also had the opportunity to do trade shows and a series of trunk shows on cruise ships with Royal Caribbean and Holland America cruise lines.’

 In addition to maintaining an active studio practice, I teach my artistic style  to both adults and young students, including children as young as Grade 4. Sharing knowledge and empowering others through creativity remains one of the most rewarding aspects of my work.

 I am also the Founder and Executive Director of Imajine Enspire. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Imajine Enspire and its Canadian division, Island Flavour, partnered with community arts organizations, libraries, community centres, and the City of Mississauga to develop and deliver programming that celebrated Caribbean culture through music, food, dance, and fashion.

 For nearly twenty years, I have worked in various library settings, including academic, school and public libraries, as a Library Technician. My experiences over the past fifteen years as an artist, entrepreneur, educator, traveller, and student have inspired the new direction Imagine Inspire is taking today. I have been very blessed and have had many opportunities and wanted to help other artists who probably would never have the same opportunities to participate in game changing conferences or trade shows or even get to be an artist.

 Today, Imajne Enspire is working on a groundbreaking collaborative project with the Republic of Namibia and the University of Namibia involving Namibian woman artisans who have the talent but lack the resources to attain economic empowerment. This initiative seeks to create meaningful pathways for economic growth, cultural preservation, and international market access. The organization's goal is to support economically disadvantaged artisans who might not otherwise benefit from conferences, trade shows, and professional development opportunities. We do this by packaging valuable business, marketing, and entrepreneurial knowledge into intensive week-long incubator programs at the public library designed to help artisans build sustainable and successful creative businesses.

 Africa and the Caribbean are rich global hubs of fashion, craftsmanship, and cultural heritage. As consumers increasingly value authenticity, sustainability, and handcrafted products, the demand for artisanal goods continues to grow. Our mission is to ensure that artisans are prepared to take advantage of these opportunities by providing training, mentorship, and access to business development resources, By helping artisans strengthen their skills, expand their networks, and develop viable enterprises, we aim to create greater economic empowerment and improve overall well-being within their communities, nations and ultimately the world.  Our goal is to help level the playing field so that more artisans can access the opportunities available within the global creative economy.

 As an organization based in Canada, we run a social enterprise that curates cultural experiences and workshops in a variety of community settings. We are honoured that we have worked in hospitals, art galleries, schools, churches and retirement homes. Some of the proceeds we make from curating these experiences goes towards funding our business incubator programs. More information is available about our social enterprise on this website. My team and I would love to collaborate with you.

Thank you for your time,

-Jackie Halstead