The Blue Book Shelf Project / Forests Aglow – Jean McCarthy

The Blue Book Shelf Project / Forests Aglow – Jean McCarthy

Blue Bookshelf Project:

The humble bookcase is IKEA’s top offering, selling at an estimated rate of one per ten seconds. Each bookcase leaves the store looking plain and identical, but something magical happens once put to use.

The Blue Bookshelf Project is a series of original paintings inspired by the random arrangement of books.

I am drawn to the colour and visual rhythm created by these accidental compositions, and fascinated by the emotional and physical pull that physical books exert. For book-lovers like me, a row of titled spines has an almost magnetic quality.

In these paintings, I celebrate how books transform ubiquitous, mass-produced bookshelves into unique works of art.

Forests Aglow:

Join me on a walk through the woods as sunlight filters through winter branches, setting the forest aglow.

Quiet moments in nature lead me to the intersection of science and spirituality, and I find myself wondering why humans build cathedrals when nothing feels more holy than a clearing in the trees.

Here, the light dances and dazzles.

Here, my sadness lifts away in shades of mauve and amber. Hope descends as pastel light.

Here, the heavy scent of earth holds shadowy notes of slumbering gemstone hues.

This whimsical take on nature celebrates a point of view that sees colour everywhere and invites contemplation.

Every shadow is a story. Every shade is a decision to see what can only be felt.

Jean McCarthy is a writer and visual artist based in Lethbridge, Alberta. Her work explores themes of resilience, transformation, and the unexpected beauty of everyday life.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alberta’s Augustana Campus and spent 25 years working in the homebuilding industry. Her work earned numerous provincial and national awards for design and creative marketing of more than 700 homes and 50 show-home installations.

In 2011, McCarthy’s efforts expanded to include writing and podcasting about mental health and recovery. Her blog, UnPickled, and podcast, The Bubble Hour, reached millions of followers worldwide and led to a series of self-help books. Jean received the SheRecovers Hope Award for her contribution to international recovery advocacy.

McCarthy is also known as a poet and award-winning fiction writer, as well as a singer-songwriter with two albums of original music.

This breadth of creative experience comes together in McCarthy’s visual art. Working primarily in acrylic on canvas, she injects her emotional response to ordinary places and objects through heightened colours and a loosened focus, inviting viewers to find something unexpected in the familiar.

Date:September 5th, 2026  -  October 23rd, 2026

Location:Casa - Concourse Gallery

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