jessica CRAIG
A pandemic through the eyes of a Nurse and Artist
Canadian Council for the Arts
Despite the uncertainty, challenges, and exhaustion nurses have faced in light of COVID-19, nurses have a strong sense of comradery, strength, perseverance and even humor. I intend to capture their lived experience through art. I welcome you to my series on Canadian’s nurses’ pandemic journey.

Where it started...
Outreach Nurses
Being an Outreach Nurse in the Vancouver DTES, I saw the opportunity to create a series that gives voice to Canadian’s nurses’ pandemic experience.
At the onset of the pandemic, I recall having unforgettable moments of fear, uncertainty, shock, and self-reflection. These moments became ingrained in my emotional memory as pieces of a time like no other. From there, I was inspired to capture moments like these that front line nurses felt.
Shortly after, I applied for an grant through Canada Council for the Arts and began chatting with nurses of varying backgrounds and experiences across Canada. From there, I gather core themes, meaningful quotes, lived stories that foster this paintings series.
I am an emerging Vancouver artist, and I hope that this series not only reflects the lived experience of nurses, but also gives them a voice and expression that you, as the viewer, can better understand what they have endured for us, along with their compassion, their dedication, their comradery, and even their fears and exhaustion.
I hope this series creates the opportunity to pause, reflect and feel.
This painting series is dedicated to the frontline Canadian healthcare workers
who dedicate their life to supporting and helping others.
Your impact is immeasurable.

Canada Council for the Arts
This opportunity is made possible with the funding and support of the Canada Council for Arts. I am in gratitude for their measures to support Canadian artists' pursuit to create, dream, innovate and thereby, fostering our Canadian cultural, historical thread.

Completed Pieces

"Luke-warm coffee," 2021
Oil on canvas, 30x36"
Summary: to be written

"Stillness," 2021
Oil and pastel on canvas, 30x36"
Summary: to be written
Future themes
For your curiosity, further themes related to collective and individual sacrifice, political movements that rose from the pandemic, and explore one of the most vulnerable groups multi-generational families. These are just a few for now, but more paintings to come. The series is expected to be completed by September, 2022. I will complete 7 large scale paintings, largest being 9x5ft. Stay tuned for more paintings.