Jane was born (1975) and raised in Dublin. She is a self-taught contemporary abstract artist. Jane works with a large canvas and works with acrylic on canvas.
Jane’s style is always a reflection of her past and present, evolving together.
“When I am painting, I understand why.”
My approach is in the absolute beauty of simplicity. While trying to emulate beauty through simplicity and imperfection, I see some things are even more beautiful for being broken.
I remember how I felt the first time I painted, and it was an instant feeling of peace. However, criticism from my art teacher early on about my style brought it to a halt, and that was that. The self-worth out the window.
I always picked up a paintbrush at times of stress through the years, but it was when I started again seriously in 2015 that I was old enough to realise that in all the years I was looking for something; it was when I painted that I knew I was in the right place.
When I first put my paintings out for the world to see, I never expected them to sell; they started selling quite quickly, and I fell into it full-time.
The process doesn’t change for me. What changes is what I learn from it. Every painting teaches me something. When I start one, I have no idea how the painting will end. It is usually something unresolved, where I haven’t connected the dots between my past and my present and thus my future, but after every painting, I feel like I have more of an understanding as to why I am here.
Each piece takes up to 4 or 5 weeks. It’s a process; I never put myself under pressure to finish, and most of my work has double-entendre meaning.
Earthy and colour: I admire the absolute beauty in simplicity. Trying to emulate beauty through simplicity and imperfection whilst having my own experiences be within them,
I see beauty in the very simple things, Sometimes, especially at night, I can see shapes and colours very clearly, and then the next day, the colour keeps cropping up. I might read something, or I am chatting to someone, and all of what I’ve seen or talked about gives me the start of my painting. Simplicity always being the beauty, as simple as the way light shines through a window with shutters and the shapes it makes when it falls on walls and surfaces.
After I have finished most paintings, and they are hanging there, I have to remind myself that I was the one who did it. I seem to switch off, going from my subconscious to the consciousness onto the canvas.
Sharing my thoughts and experiences through the paintings can feel like I am revealing my innermost secrets to a stranger. It is my experiences that shape me and bring me to this point of my artistic journey, but it is through overcoming these challenges that I gain an understanding of my life. That understanding is very prevalent through my work.
My experiences in my life have brought me to this place, and although I wouldn’t want to relive most of them, I know without doubt that I wouldn’t be doing this without them. Art helps me overcome my fears, and I find the strength to follow through. They become a feeling of fearlessness, faith, and strength.
