Jacquie Sharpe, a graduate of the University of British Columbia Okanagan, shifted her focus from painting to working with leather—dyeing, shaping, and stitching it into diverse and often highly practical objects. Alongside her creative work, she devotes herself to her animals, including horses, dogs, and most recently a tame raven that visits her daily. She is also socially active, participating in community gatherings with seniors. After her studies, Jacquie traveled extensively in Europe and spent over a year living in BranÃk, Prague. These experiences broadened her perspective and deepened her sensitivity to connections within her surroundings—an outlook that is visible in her photography, painting, and especially in her leatherwork.
Currently, she focuses on making everyday items and travel-related pieces such as bags and cases, designed for both short and long journeys.
For the Ore Mountains exhibition, she created two handbags and a book cover inspired by Reg Kienast’s story. These works depict the cultural landscape of the Ore Mountains as she envisions it—always featuring a raven. The raven is not only Jacquie’s mischievous and intelligent daily companion, but also a symbol of perspective and insight. It is furthermore a shared creature of both continents, inhabiting North America as well as Europe.