About
The road map of life is an interesting one. Decisions made in a split second and conversations with friends and strangers can send you hurtling down paths you never expected. You come to junctions and crossroads and have to make the call as to which way to go and this is very much how I came to be painting for a living.
A Conversation
“I think you should do this.”
My closest friend Lesley Geyer-Brooks, whom I‘ve known from childhood, took an HNC in Art and Design. Her artwork was uplifting, her use of colour and lovely loose way of capturing images really connected with me. Her enthusiasm and words of encouragement ignited a small kindling of an idea. Could I do the same or something similar? Being creative was something I had always managed to weave into my life, but could I take it a step further and see what I was capable of?
The Decision
With her words of encouragement ringing in my ears, and reaching a crossroads in my life, well a Y junction - do I stick with doing something that had completely worn me out with no work/life balance but did pay a regular wage or do I seek out a new path and do something that in my heart I had wanted to do at 18?
A heart to heart with my truly supportive husband and … I took her advice and applied for an HND in Art And Design at North East College Scotland.
The Rest, As They Say, Is History
I loved my time at college. There were two mature students in my class, a lovely lady whom I now think of as a dear friend Sally Wright, and myself. We had a blast and revelled in the freedom and joy of time to design and paint. The novelty of not squeezing our artwork between the myriad of jobs that life throws at you was a privilege - three hours of uninterrupted painting was bliss. The tutors introduced us to techniques and methods that we couldn’t wait to try. We bounced ideas off each other, we encouraged each other when we had no idea what we were doing and we were pretty good agony aunts for the rest of our classmates having at least 100 years of life experiences between us. My time there was one of the best.
Three years later I left with my HND. I made the decision not to travel down the road to Art School but take the path that would shove me out into the big wide world. When you get to 50 plus, time is marching on and I wanted to paint. And this little space, part of the big world wide web is where I’ve got to on that path.
My Art
I hope my art reminds you of happy times, weaving its way into your memories of time spent in our beautiful country. If a painting is filled with your favourite colour, I hope it lifts your mood and reminds you to take time to enjoy the little things in life.
Taking time to enjoy a painting is allowing yourself time to step off the treadmill of life. And we all need that little bit of peace and quiet. So put your feet up, sit back with a cup of tea and take a wander around the site allowing the images to mingle with your memories.
Thank you for taking the time to find me, I hope the art lifts your spirits.
- Jane
Find out more about my process and inspiration in my Studio Blog or on Instagram.
