Courtney Bears

Artist Bio

Courtney Bears is an emerging artist that was born and raised in the small city of Cornwall, Ontario. Throughout the years, Courtney has explored a variety of styles, mediums and subject matter, however time has conjured her a passion for portraiture and fantasy illustration.

In Courtney’s early days, re-watching movies such as The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter never got old and plugging away at MMORPG's like Runescape and World of Warcraft failed to bore her. These surreal worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling and George R.R. Martin, etc. hold the magic, mystery, wonder and beauty that Courtney ultimately wishes to capture in her portraiture and illustrative works. Inspiration for Courtney’s portraiture is fueled by the people whom she admires and respects for the beautiful things that they bring to this world. Courtney holds an appreciation for Korean pop music and often her artwork is influenced by the hardworking artists who she has grown to love and appreciate.

Courtney was selected to create an art piece for her elementary school that is now on display at Central Public School. Her work has been exhibited at the Cornwall Square, Cornwall Library and her high school, Saint Lawrence Secondary School. Courtney’s work has been featured on a segment of TVO and displayed on more than one occasion through the South Korean internet-based live-music request television talk show, After School Club. Courtney continues to receive commissions from friends and family and is currently working towards her diploma in Creative & Visual Fine Arts.

Website

Artist Statement

Working in mediums such as pencil, coloured pencil, acrylics and watercolour, I create ethereal portraits and fantasy illustrations. Using such mediums allows me to passionately and confidently express my personal admirations. Inspired by images, videos, or a dream-like melodies, I seek to create seamless and smooth looking pieces that compliment the fragility and innocence of my chosen subjects.

I most often use a pencil for my works as it continues to provide me with a strong foundation that can be built upon or re-imagined. When working on a drawing, I tend to focus on one particular section at a time, instead of moving around the work, and then blending it all together to create an overall soft looking piece before adding dark values. Once the idea is put into practice and all is going well, I am filled with a sense of accomplishment that encourages me to continue creating similar work and evolve from the experience. The piece is considered finished when I am able to confidently and shameless apply my signature.

I continue to explore ways to incorporate the fantasy realm into my work by bringing otherworldly beings to life with my photo-realistic portraits and surreal illustrations; all while challenging myself as an artist by working with different mediums, project scales and colour palettes.