Jay LeBlanc is a proponent of serious play who indulges in abstract art of varying kinds. Mostly known for her innovative stained glass hangings, she also experiments with painting, printmaking, mixed media, photography and poetry, along with a recent dabbling in installation. Mostly self-taught, Jay enjoyed a full calendar year at the NS College of Art and Design as a mature student in 1996, and has taken some art workshops in her own community. She is the 2013 winner of the Prix Grand Pré, awarded to Acadian artists showing excellence and innovation in their art.

"My art is largely influenced by, and reflective of the natural surroundings of the southwestern Nova Scotia shoreline; specifically the Acadian region of Baie Ste. Marie. As an artist, female, somewhat Anglophone, slightly Francophone, repatriated Acadian, living in “mid-life” where the sea and the stars are so plainly visible, the exploration of themes including archetypal, cultural, and metaphysical is essential. Life affords many wonderful mediums for explorations. Colors and pieces seem to assemble themselves, surprising, as they become a finished form. The process and product provide clues to our existential nature. So I continue my serious play."

Jay LeBlanc