David Jean
David Jean is a Canadian artist whose career has spanned several decades. His paintings and lithographs are widely acclaimed and complement numerous notable collections worldwide, including those of Canada’s former Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Jean Chretien, former Ontario Premier, Mike Harris, and Designer, Giorgio Gucci.

David’s heritage provides us with insight as to his inherent ability to portray through his work, his understanding of humanity’s quest for world peace and harmony. He was born in Toronto Canada to immigrant parents. His father was Mainland Chinese; his mother was from Barbados, a mix of Cherokee Indian, African, and Dutch.

To fit David Jean into any art genre would do injustice to his extraordinary skills. He demonstrates his technical powers and versatility in a wide variety of artistic categories. Just as he is distinguished in symbolizing modern-day events, David is equally adept at producing examples of Renaissance and Baroque paintings, completing unfinished works of great masters like Leonardo da Vinci's "Adoration of the Magi" and "The Battle of Anghiari". In his naturalist works he captures the spirit of wildlife as well as the majesty of our natural landscape. David’s surrealist paintings transport us into the otherworldly realm of the fairy and other mythological and magical creatures such as the unicorn and the winged Pegasus. In these works he clearly draws upon the archetypes of the collective unconscious, reaching into the hidden recesses of the viewers souls and taking us to a place where he believes we are all connected.

Many of David Jean's works, such as "Temptation of Pegasus" and "Revelation of Pegasus" acknowledge our dark side, depicting the struggle of good versus evil. The struggle is pronounced by his expert use of darkness and light. The triumph of good is often symbolized by the imagery of angels bringing hope, love, and enlightenment. David's ever-present trademark water droplet is indicative of the essence of life.

A study of his work reveals a personality with deep spiritual connection, exceptional talent, and an artist who masterfully shares with the audience his perception of world harmony. David Jean is blessed with a photographic memory, seemingly guided by the spirit of the old masters. All his paintings are done freehand, brush to canvas, without preliminary pencil drawings or mechanical assistance.

A comprehensive biography of the achievements of David Jean can be obtained from AngelSpeak Publications Inc. Examples of his masterpieces are displayed throughout this website and its links.

Pope John Paul II

David created an exceptional image of "Pope John Paul II" in celebration of the millennium. The original oil-on canvas painting of the Pope and Child currently hangs in the Vatican. His beautiful imagery gives a feeling of pure unselfish love, truly a masterpiece, using the Heavens as a backdrop. This painting, together with a number of other inspirational spiritual images created by David Jean reveal the artist’s ability to capture on canvas the essence of human kindness and kindred spirit, as it crosses the boundaries of various religious doctrines.

From 1977 to 1981 David was engaged by the "Toronto Blue Jays" American League Baseball Club, producing a proud series of oil on canvas paintings of "Blue Jay Kids". The images were reproduced as greeting cards for the club.

In 1997, his work, in collaboration with Ken Kirkby, graced the cover of the "Economic & Technology Development Journal of Canada".

Motivated by his native Cherokee heritage, David produced a series of vibrant Native Dancers, introducing us to the realm of the native Shaman, capturing the Spirit of the Pow Wow and the Dance of the Seasons.

In cooperation with Valerie Brennan, David Jean seeks to build mentoring relationships between young people and artists. They created a cooperative art gallery, The Masterpiece Gallery, to inspire new artists and provided for a number of years an affordable space where these aspiring young artists can exhibit and sell their own work. The works of two of these artists, Ross Monk and Jane Hunter were awarded the honour of becoming part of the Watercolour Society's "Windsor Castle" Collection.

Both David and Valerie are active members of the St.George’s Society of Toronto, the Jazz Performance Education Centre, and other charities.

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Enjoy further impressions of David Jean as seen through the eyes of Sarah Lilleyman in her work: A Portrait of an Artist. Sarah is an independent journalist and is not affiliated with AngelSpeak.



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