Why Patronage Matters
Hyperrealism is not fast work.
Each piece requires weeks or months of sustained focus, layered detail, and technical precision — especially at the scale this collection demands.
Patronage allows The Natural History of Myth to be created with the time, care, and intention it deserves.
It also gives patrons the opportunity to support the collection while it is still becoming — before the work is complete, before it is publicly exhibited, and before select editions are released.
The primary need for this coming year is simple: dedicated studio time.
To create a serious body of work, I need the ability to focus deeply on the paintings themselves, rather than building them only in fragments around survival needs.
Creative Time
The most essential part of this
collection is time.
Hyperrealism requires patience,
stillness, and uninterrupted focus.
Patron support gives each piece the space to be created properly, without rushing the process or compromising
the level of detail the work requires.
Studio Stability
My primary patronage goal is
designed to support one year of basic living stability while I create the collection.
This allows the work to develop as a cohesive body, rather than being delayed, scattered, or created only in between the demands of day-to-day survival.
Protecting the Collection
The goal is not to release each piece as soon as it is finished.
Patronage helps protect the vision as a whole — allowing the collection to grow together before they are publicly shown, exhibited, or released in any final form.
Patronage Goal
$65,000 CAD over the coming year
This primary goal represents the minimum support needed to give me one dedicated year of focused studio time and basic living stability while I create The Natural History of Myth.
Additional project support beyond this goal would help fund materials, framing, professional documentation, print development, exhibition preparation, and future presentation of the collection.
As a Canadian artist, my hope is to first bring this body of work into galleries, museums, and cultural spaces across Canada — allowing it to be experienced as a complete collection before broader opportunities are pursued.
More than funding individual paintings, patron support helps protect the conditions required for the collection to exist at the level it deserves.
The Artist Behind the Work
"What began as a lifeline became my calling."
The Life Behind the Myth
I did not come to art through a traditional path.
Before becoming an artist, I lived more than one life — fifteen years in animal care, wildlife rehabilitation, veterinary assistance, and animal cruelty investigation, followed by a ten-year career in oil and gas.
At 37, with no background in welding and no one waiting to guide me, I left for Northern Alberta and started from the ground up. I worked as a laborer, heavy equipment operator, and welder’s helper before teaching myself through correspondence to become a QC/Weld Inspector.
Those years taught me discipline, endurance, precision, and how to see what others might miss.
I did not pick up a paintbrush until COVID, when I was rebuilding my life and becoming sober and smoke-free. What began as a way to keep my hands and mind steady became the doorway into the life I had been trying to reach all along.
Now, at 49, I am creating the body of work I believe I was meant to make.
This collection is not only about mythic beings. It is about transformation, survival, discipline, and choosing the thing that calls you — even when it asks you to risk everything familiar.
What Your Support Makes Possible
Your support helps create the conditions needed for this body of work to exist at the level it deserves.
It helps make possible:
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one dedicated year of focused studio time
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the creation of several large-scale original hyperreal works
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the development of a cohesive exhibition-ready collection
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materials, framing, and professional presentation
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high-quality photography and documentation
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future exhibition proposals and gallery opportunities
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the ability to keep the collection together before it is publicly shown
It also supports something more personal: the belief that a serious body of work can be built before the world has fully seen what it will become.
Some collections need support while they are still becoming.
This is one of them.
Become Part of the Foundation
This exhibition begins as belief before it becomes visible.
If my work speaks to you, and if you feel connected to the vision behind this collection,
I would be honoured to have your support.
Your patronage helps bring this world into form — creating a body of work that can one day be
experienced together, as it was meant to be seen.
Please note: Jen Myhre Art is not a registered charity. Patronage contributions are not charitable donations and do not qualify for charitable tax receipts. Businesses or sponsors may wish to consult their accountant regarding how support may be categorized.
Founding & Lead Patronage
For those considering a larger patronage gift, business sponsorship,
or private support, I invite you to contact me directly.
For a lead patron or major supporter who wishes to support the primary year of creation,
you will receive the complete series ofThe Natural History of Myth
limited-edition collectors prints as they are released.
You will receive exclusive updates and behind the scenes footage of works in progress, next pieces to be created and have the option to input advice during the creative process.
Patron
25
Every month
Quiet ongoing support for the creation of The Natural History of Myth.
Valid until canceled
Studio Patron
50
Every month
Ongoing monthly support for the creation of The Natural History of Myth.
Valid until canceled
Collection Patron
100
Every month
Deeper ongoing support toward the creation of The Natural History of Myth.
Valid until canceled
Monthly Patronage
-
Provides deeper support for focused studio time
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Helps protect the collection before public exhibition
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Contributes to the long-term development and presentation of the work
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Supports the creation of The Natural History of Myth
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Helps protect focused studio time
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Contributes to the steady development of the collection
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Supports one dedicated year of focused studio time
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Helps the collection develop as a cohesive body of work
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Contributes to materials, planning, and ongoing creation
Stay Connected to the Work
If you would like to follow my studio practice beyond this page, you can sign up for occasional updates on new works, future collections, print releases, exhibitions, and the continued development of The Natural History of Myth.
Patronage is not required to join, and you may unsubscribe at any time.
The Natural History of Myth
Patronage helps bring The Natural History of Myth into existence.
Every contribution supports the creation of a rare body of hyperreal work — mythic beings painted not as fantasy, but as if they truly belonged to the natural world.
Your support helps give this collection the time, focus, and stability it needs to become what it is meant to be.
Patrons who help bring this collection into existence will receive first access to select limited edition prints before any public release, when editions become available.
Your support allows this work to continue — with the time, focus, and care it deserves.
Frequency
One time
Monthly
Yearly
Amount
CA$25
CA$50
CA$100
CA$250
CA$500
CA$1,000
CA$5,000
Other
0/100
Comment (optional)
Please note: Jen Myhre Art is not a registered charity. Patronage contributions are not charitable donations and do not qualify for charitable tax receipts. Businesses or sponsors may wish to consult their accountant regarding how support may be categorized.
E-transfer Contributions
Canadian patrons may also support The Natural History of Myth by Interac e-Transfer.
Please send contributions to: