Artist Statement
I have been a California, Bay Area resident for more than 25 years. My creative pilgrimage began as a child. There has rarely been a time when I was not busy making or creating something. I have always looked forward to traveling, trying out a new fashion, restaurant, or painting technique. I’ve been a professional make-up artist, photo stylist, shoe designer, theatre costumer as well as a lifelong painter.
I consider myself a visual storyteller, calling on my imagination to make sense of my world through the integration of paint, form and structure. My abstract work is based on random memories from travels, my need to organize, feelings of joy, and often deep-seated longings. The atmospheric nature of my work can be read as an Asian sensibility that reflects the delicacy of light and line to create a balance often found in nature. These are deep cultural roots that often surface unconsciously. Growing up and having lived in large cities of Boston, New York City and San Francisco bring out the hard edges of urban landscapes that are often found in my work. The process of combining color, composition, and mark-making to bring a piece alive is exhilarating and deeply satisfying.
The mediums I am currently working with are acrylic, oil, oil with cold wax medium and graphite. Experimentation with these mediums forms my visual language as I explore my artistic journey.
Artist Bio
Born in Boston, Massachusetts Jane started painting in the 1980’s while she was a fashion design student in New York City. While on an extended trip the South of France she purchased her first set of oil paints and brushes. During her stay she created numerous abstract canvases, and was invited to show her works in a local church. This was the start of her love of painting. After returning to the States, she had shows in independent New York City and Washington, DC galleries before moving to California to work in shoe design.
In California she began etching and fine art quilting as a means of expression, and to get back to "thinking like an artist." During this time she raised a family. After many years of quilting, her interest in oil painting resurfaced. Drawn to the beauty and luminosity of classical oil paintings found in museums, she pursued local classes in the old masters style of painting. After completing and exhibiting a series of still life paintings she was ready for the next challenge of working on abstract subject matter.
Abstract painting has been the narrative of her artistic vision since 2005. Currently she works in acrylic, acrylic mixed media, oil, and oil with cold wax. She feels very comfortable, as well as challenged, with the process of discovering a painting through the journey of creating art. Jane continues to take classes and workshops to discover techniques that feed her curiosity. She exhibits her abstract paintings in local and international juried art shows, and has received numerous awards. Her art resides in collections locally and throughout the country. When she is not painting or entering shows Jane is designing shoes for Impo International, or working as a costumer in the East Bay theater community. She resides in Walnut Creek, CA.