This CBC logo collage is a 'love letter to Caribbean summers'

Every month, we feature a new take on the CBC Arts logo created by a Canadian artist. Check out our previous logos!

While creating this collage for CBC Arts, Jasmine Vanstone was dreaming of Caribbean shores. As a multidisciplinary artist and facilitator, Vanstone's work is often inspired by her Jamaican roots. "My practice primarily focuses on themes of identity, wellness and the natural environment," she writes, and you can see all of those elements in this new design, which blends digital illustration and old-fashioned clippings from thrifted magazines. She told us more about the concept when we reached out to her over email.

Name: Jasmine Vanstone

Age: 28

Homebase: Toronto

Let's talk about your logo! What are we looking at?

You're looking at a fruit juice-soaked, tropically charged love letter to Caribbean summers. I wanted to bring that sun-on-your-skin, fresh-fruit-on-the-beach energy to life. 

The logo blends hibiscus, mango, coconut and palm leaves and other layered elements. It positions you on a beach oasis enjoying fresh produce on the seashore. It's a celebration of flavour, joy and rest — a tasteful moment that is bright, bold and a little nostalgic.

What inspired the concept?

I'm a foodie through and through, and Toronto's thick summer heat always reminds me of Jamaica (except Jamaica has more breeze, and fruit grows freely like blessings). 

This logo was a way to bottle that memory-sensation and remix it through my artistic lens. Lately, my work has been all about identity, water and food sovereignty, so this piece became a crossroads of all three. It's tropical joy with something deeper simmering underneath.

What sources do you often turn to for ideas and inspiration?

Conversations with loved ones. My dream diary and stream-of-consciousness journal. Archival rabbit holes. ADHD tangents. Nature. New experiences. Observing the way people move through the world. 

I'm always taking notes — on bus rides, in grocery aisles, during mentorship sessions. Inspiration lives in the sharing of perspectives and the noticing of thoughts, subconscious or not.

What do you love about working in collage?

Collage is my way of reimagining existing stories and building new worlds from what already exists. It's part resistance, part ritual, part remix. It's resourceful, low-barrier and full of potential, which makes it both accessible and transformative. I think of it as a metaphor for identity: what's seen, what's hidden and how we choose to piece things together based on what resonates. The whole process feels like an adventure from gathering materials in thrift stores, to mindful harvesting of images, and creating something that didn't exist before.

What's the project you're most proud of?

Dutch Pot in Diaspora has a piece of my heart because it's a self-published visual art and poetry anthology of Black food stories told by youth from Scarborough. I also love mentoring through Verse & Vision, a program where BIPOC youth explore social justice and wellness themes through poetry and collage. Both projects make room for deep dialogue, artful messiness and collective transformation.

What's new in your world? What are you working on these days?

I recently installed a temporary public art installation called Harmony of the Waves at William Duncan Park in Richmond Hill, Ont., and it is only up until August 8. I'm working on a mural with Street Art Toronto for the Concrete Barrier Mural Program. I am co-leading two Verse & Vision: Collaborative Creations cohorts and gearing up for a summer poetry and visual art showcase at Toronto Metropolitan University's Creative HQ. 

What's your favourite place to see art?

Anywhere it isn't expected to be and anywhere that is free or pay what you can. Storefront windows. Lower Bay Station. Library bulletin boards. Sidewalk chalk masterpieces. 

But I also love cozy community galleries and zine fairs where you can talk to the artists directly. Even art potlucks (yes, potlucks) where instead of food, it is art supplies! Or rather, food and art supplies!

Who's the last artist you discovered online?
I recently came across Jumbo Clinton through the Black Collagists Instagram page. His digital collage work is very mesmerizing. Most of his works are centered around Black culture and existence. Very vibrant and thought provoking. 

What work of art do you wish you owned?

If we're talking big-picture thinking where money isn't even a concern, I would want to commission the following things: a mural for my living room by Jacquie Comrie; an artbook compiling my friends' visual art and poetry; a family portrait (series?) by Benny Bing; and a statement outfit by Diséiye Thompson. That's just to start. 

Are there any arts events on your radar this July? What are you excited to check out?

This July, I will be leading a community engaged public art project with Vibe Arts as part of Lots of Play, so this is an open invitation to all. I am looking forward to Toronto Outdoor Art Fair to check out work by emerging artists and artists in the Art Encounters program. Toronto Fringe Festival to see Lulu. The Pancake and Booze Art Show. I'll also be making time to support what my creative friends are up to. :) 

Where can we see more from you?

I live part-time on Instagram at @articulately_jasmine, and part-time in the coziness of my living room. You can find my bigger projects at www.jasminevanstone.com. If you're in Toronto, look for my murals around town in bike lanes or the sides of buildings. 

This conversation has been edited and condensed.