Jackie Besteman

I am a Toronto based illustrator. I grew up in South Africa and The Netherlands and was very much influenced by these diverse cultures. After finishing my diploma at the Ontario College of Art I became a freelance illustrator and have never looked back. It was always my dream to express myself as an artist. I love to make images that pop and that communicate immediately with the viewer. This desire has also led me to paint birds in the last few years. Many of the paintings are now in private collections.

I love working with colour and texture and lately fashion and its endless abundance has been very inspiring to me. I like to interpret different brands and approach it in a slow way in order to show the detail and perfection of the craftsmanship.

Partial Client List: Harper Collins, Penguin/ Random House, Oxford University Press, Flow Magazine, Marie Claire, Vogue.com, Readers Digest, The Wall Street Journal, Chatelaine, How, Shape, Travel & Leisure, American Baby, Institutional Investor, Explore, The Body Shop, Flare, House & Home, Toronto Star, The New York Times, Body & Soul, Girls Life, Explore Magazine, The Washington Post, Guideposts.

Jackie’s bird portraits intrigue. Clearly they are exquisitely executed. I am also a fan of her bold colour sense. Nevertheless, it is the power of her birds that haunt and stir interest. I am reminded of fairytales by Hans Christian Anderson and Oscar Wilde as well as Alfred Hitchcock’s terrifying film”

Natasha Fraser Cavassoni is the author of After Andy, Sam Spiegelman, Lou Lou de la Falaise and Yves St Laurent.