By Eric Zhao
It is hard to find art talents who, at the same time, are exceptional athletes. The younger of the grade eleven Artley brothers, Jay Artley, is one of those rare examples. Born in Yorkshire, England, Jay and his family moved to Canada when he was in grade two. Interestingly, though both lived in England, Jay is now free of an accent while his twin brother Brendan still sounds quite British. According to Jay, his extended family is very artistic and his grandfather used to be an amazing watercolour painter. Maybe it is because of this family influence that Jay has also devoted himself to art: “I have always had a passion for art and I have been doing it as long as I can remember.”
It is hard to find art talents who, at the same time, are exceptional athletes. The younger of the grade eleven Artley brothers, Jay Artley, is one of those rare examples. Born in Yorkshire, England, Jay and his family moved to Canada when he was in grade two. Interestingly, though both lived in England, Jay is now free of an accent while his twin brother Brendan still sounds quite British. According to Jay, his extended family is very artistic and his grandfather used to be an amazing watercolour painter. Maybe it is because of this family influence that Jay has also devoted himself to art: “I have always had a passion for art and I have been doing it as long as I can remember.”
Often, Jay’s talent as an artist is overlooked by his peers as it has always been outshone by his athleticism. Jay and his brother, Brendan, are both extremely gifted athletes at Collingwood and have been integral members of numerous major sport teams at school. Jay is a starter for the senior soccer team, a promising asset to the senior tennis team who won the provincial championship last year and an active member of the school badminton team. Quite obviously, Jay enjoys playing sports such as soccer, tennis and basketball in his spare time.
When asked for his interpretation of art, Jay responded, “Art means a lot to me as it is a way to express creativity and to visually express many ideas. Art is a way to get away from my hardships that I might experience in real life and drawing in this sense is something that I really enjoy.” Surprisingly, Jay’s inspiration is not from a famous artist nor his family, but musicians. “Musicians inspire me in the way that they are so creative and I can’t really explain by words.” Music is the fuel for Jay to draw as it is his habit to listen to music while creating his artwork. Some of his favourite bands and artists are Foo Fighters, Stevie Wonder and Bob Marley. For styles of art, Jay most enjoys abstract art. He personally thinks that it is the most creative style because there is truly no limit to his expression in his works and he is able to “do whatever he wants.” Jay has been featured in one exhibition which took place at St. George’s School.
For his future after high school, Jay has decided to try to pursue his art dream in the fields of graphic design, multimedia and 3D design. One school of his interest is Sheridan, which is the best school for 3D design in Canada and maybe even in the world.
For his future after high school, Jay has decided to try to pursue his art dream in the fields of graphic design, multimedia and 3D design. One school of his interest is Sheridan, which is the best school for 3D design in Canada and maybe even in the world.