About
About the Artist
Jerome Coulas was born on an Oxford County dairy farm in 1953. His family roots are in the Madawaska Valley where his great-grandparents immigrated to Canada from the Kashub region of Poland in the 1860's. Jerome (Jerry) has lived in several Ontario communities, large and small, rural and urban. He also lived and studied for a while in Chicago and Boston. He holds a B.A. in psychology from York University, Toronto, and has worked in libraries, social services, social service administration, and human resources management.
A true naïve painter, Jerome has painted since his early years, but never received formal art training. His usual medium is acrylic on canvas, but he has applied his imagination to a variety of projects including set design, pattern design for knitted sweaters, and interior wall treatments. Jerry's unique and exuberant interpretations of everyday subjects might be playful, reflective, nostalgic, or simply appreciative of the natural world.
Since he first began to paint full-time in 1986, his work has been exhibited across Canada and he has celebrated many solo and group shows at the invitation of respected public and commercial galleries. Coulas paintings are generous with warmth and a delightful familiarity that often grow ever richer for the viewer over time.
Jerry's travels across Canada in the 1990's broadened and enriched his painting in both subject matter and approach. His inspiration derives from his personal experience of life on this land and his drive to capture and convey elements of that experience to others visually. Jerome Coulas now resides on the Bonnechere River in the Ottawa Valley, not far from where his ancestors settled about 150 years ago.
Previous Exhibitions and Commissions
Solo Shows
September '87 "Recent Works"; Scugog Memorial Library, Port Perry
April '88 "One Fine Day"; Young Fox Gallery, Toronto
January '89 "Some Winter Friendship"; Young Fox Gallery, Toronto
April '89 "Recent Works"; Village Square Art Gallery, Carp
September '89 "Recent Works"; Alcove Art Gallery, Sarnia
February '90 "Anticipating Spring"; Young Fox Gallery, Toronto
March '90 "Recent Works"; Rails' End Gallery, Haliburton
March '91 "Islands of Calm"; Gibson Gallery, London
September '91 "New Works"; Young Fox Gallery, Toronto
May '92 "Where the Heart Is"; Young Fox Gallery, Toronto
December '92 privately hosted exhibition (Mrs. C. Rykert), Toronto
May '94 "Coulas's Canada"; Scugog Memorial Library, Port Perry
June '99 "Another Fine Day"; Painted City, Toronto
August '05 "Recent Works"; Serendipity on the River, Eganville
Group Shows
March '87 The Home Show (Neville Gallery), Toronto
March '87 Skelton Galleries, Collingwood
December '87 Young Fox Gallery, Toronto
February '88 "For Lovers Only"; Young Fox Gallery, Toronto
February '88 Skelton Galleries, Collingwood
December '88 Young Fox Gallery, Toronto
March '89 Skelton Galleries, Collingwood
May '89 Port Perry Art Fest, Port Perry
December '89 Young Fox Gallery, Toronto
March '90 Skelton Galleries, Collingwood
September '90 Lambeth Art Festival, Lambeth, Ontario
November '90 The Nook Art Gallery, Haliburton
December '90 Young Fox Gallery, Toronto
March '91 Skelton Galleries, Collingwood
August, 92 "Birds"; Rails' End Gallery, Haliburton, Ontario
January '99 "Three in the Gallery"; Art Gallery of Bancroft
August '98 '01"Garden Party"; Painted City, Toronto
March '99 "Wounded Art"; Painted City, Toronto
March '05 Annual Group Show "Featuring Jerome Coulas"; Skelton Galleries, Collingwood
May '06" Canadiana"; Red Canoe Cafe, Wilno Station Inn
Set Design
June '91 "Godspell"; Bancroft Theatre Arts Guild
Corporate Commissions
December '99 Cloud Dream Murals, Ontario Civil Service Credit Union
December '99 Cloud Dream Murals, Communications technologies Credit Union
September '02 "Oh Canada!", Ash Temple Inc., Concord, Ontario
June '06 "Exploring the Bonnechere", Eganville Community Development Group
