Jerre Paquette: A Life Made of Art

By Melissa Bloxham

Jerre Paquette. (Photo credit: Melissa Bloxham)

The best art makes you stop and go somewhere deep inside yourself to uncover the sensations it is provoking in your gut, heart, mind, and soul. It has textures and layers, light and dark, contrasting shadows that expose the artist’s inner world and his or her quest for beauty.

If you are a lover of art, you see it in everything, from the shape of a cloud, to the distant laughter of a child. This is also true of a well-lived life. A well-lived life is as provocative as art, dark and light permeating its every corner. This is Jerre’s life. His life is art.

The Backside of New York

“I was literally exploring the back side of New York. Everyone, even horses, had their backs to me. I couldn’t resist photographing the scene.”

Jerre laughs when he tells the story, but the photo he created is layered with mood. He took the raw image, pulled it into Photoshop, and transformed it with what he calls his painterly style. “I like to keep it simple.” It’s a passion he has refined over the years, combining just enough digital brushstrokes with what his lens already knew.

He works with printers out of Salmon Arm to bring his pieces to life, keeping the integrity of every detail.

And yes, he’s the guy with the camera around his neck, always. “It’s why I’m 5’4,” he jokes.

British Farmscapes by Jerre Paquette.

Darkness and Light

Jerre’s life, like his art, is layered in shadows and brilliance. He and his son Jeremy used to go free-diving in Hawaii, holding their breath as they pushed deeper into the silence where little light reached. Jerre could hold his breath longer than his adult son, and Jeremy came home inspired to beat him, to train until he could.

Jerre Paquette with his photograph titled Evening Grosbeak

Back at the pool in Calgary in 2005, Jeremy explained his training plan to the lifeguards, asking them to watch for his signal indicating he was in trouble. He dove, held his breath, and fainted. The lifeguards were distracted. They didn’t notice. Jeremy drowned.

Darkness.

At the time, Jerre was a professor. His teaching, his work, and his relationships were all being corroded by the anger that swelled inside him. Months later, his wife told him plainly: You need to deal with this.

One late night in Cochrane Alberta, Jerre went to the local river’s edge. He screamed. He poured his anger into the river, demanded answers, demanded release. He came away with only one: spend your life looking for beauty.

Light.

Photography became his way of staying focused. Focused on finding beauty, on guiding others to see the extraordinary in the ordinary.

The Art of Seeing

Jerre doesn’t just take photos. He notices. He hunts for magic. He calls his computer drive the “photo coffin,” stuffed with 91,000 images waiting to be given new life.

“I sometimes wonder why I’m working on this particular photo when so many others are waiting for me,” he says. His eyes crinkle when he asks, “Is a piece ever really done?”

He prefers looking through the eyepiece instead of a digital screen. It keeps him present, not distracted. It keeps him searching.

Drive-By Shooting

On long drives, as a passenger, Jerre points his camera through the window and clicks. He calls it “drive-by shooting.” No crimes committed, only landscapes caught at 120 km/h with no place to pull over. The surprising results capture beauty we too often pass by.

Portraits, Birds, and Backyard Magic

Jerre’s photograph titled Guava Blossoms, Hawaii. (Photos credit: Melissa Bloxham)

Jerre recently discovered he has a knack for portraits. At a funeral, he noticed a man who looked like art. The background was messy, so Jerre edited the shot into a black-and-white portrait that looked more like a sketch. When he gave it to the man’s mother, she lit up and held it close for hours. “These reactions are why I do what I do.”

He’s also created pieces like Edgar Allen Crow. In his backyard oasis he has 65 different bird species, each one captured through his lens. Every click is a search for treasure.

Writing, Wondering, and Lessons

In addition to photography, Jerre is a writer for Shuswap Scoop. He’s currently working on a series exploring the artistic and creative women of the Shuswap. “Why is it that women are so creative?” he asks, curious and captivated by their stories.

He’s learned from men he admires, one of whom taught him to live life like a dog—fully, grasping onto the moment and celebrating it with others. He lives in the up, down, and all around, guiding people to find beauty in the mundane.

Jerre is the Art

Jerre isn’t just an artist. He is the art. His mind, his memories, his grief, his searching. He’s looking for art. He’s looking for treasure. That Search is the art.

It’s what makes life textured and worthwhile. The art only becomes “art” because Jerre noticed, captured it, and brought it into focus for himself and others.

________________

Jerre’s photographs are displayed locally at Shuswap Artisan Market, Sorrento and Timber Restaurant, Blind Bay. His work will also be part of an exhibition in Salmon Arm in January 2026 - details coming soon.
Find Jerre’s photos online at jerrepaquette.smugmug.com (order directly at jerre.paquette@gmail.com).