Courtney Barboza neé Colbon (b.1989) is a visual artist and illustrator based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; this land is the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples.

While still in grade school, Courtney was admitted to study with Art Instruction School of Minneapolis, Minnesota. She completed this certificate program, and graduated High School with honors in 2007. This helped to propel her to a career as a university student at Emily Carr University in the same year. Courtney concentrated in painting & illustration, while minoring in humanities.

 

After she received her bachelors of fine art degree in 2012, Courtney was contracted short term by an agency to work as an administrative professional. She landed a permanent position soon thereafter and quickly gained success in the corporate world. She was sent by the company to refine her business acumen at Vancouver Community College, and the Insurance Institute of British Columbia. Before leaving the company in 2018, Courtney was the executive assistant to the president and CEO of Cansure.

 

In 2015, Courtney married her long time partner, José Barboza. They live happily together in the Mount Pleasant district of Vancouver. For many years, Courtney balanced her corporate career in conjunction with her art career, creating a dichotomy of interests and responsibilities which proved difficult to balance. Courtney had been active in the local art scene; she has appeared in Hot Art Wet City’s YouTube video series profiling local talent, she illustrated for local magazine Nuvo, and had shown artwork in galleries HAWC, and The Fall Tattoo and Gallery. 

 

Photo circa 2012