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Jane Loveall always wanted to become an artist. Even when told there was no money or career as an artist, she was not deterred, knowing instinctively that what she could communicate through art would mean more than money ever would. From early on, she was fortunate to have the support and encouragement of her family, particularly her grandmother, Phyllis Richardson, who took a strong interest in Jane’s work and framed her earliest efforts.
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The loving legacy of Jane’s grandmother continues to be a great influence today – Jane and her husband live in her grandparent’s house, just three blocks from where Jane was born. And Jane’s studio and gallery, Studio B, are located in a converted apartment behind the house. “The apartment was built in 1943,” says Jane, “and the address number was 831B. So, to retain the heritage, I named it Studio B when I converted the apartment to an art studio.”
Educating Herself to a Professional Level
“I took my first formal art class in seventh grade and proceeded to take every city-offered art class, summer school art classes and art classes in high school. I then entered college as an art major and graduated with high honors from California State University, Sacramento with a BA degree in Art and a teaching credential in art.”
“I sold my first piece in high school, largely because one of my friends wanted to be able to say she bought my first artwork. I started selling my watercolors on a more consistent, professional basis seventeen years ago.” Since then, Jane has sold over sixty works.
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Special Vignettes of Life Reflected in Paintings
“As an artist, I strive to ’see clearly’ and tell a bit of a story. I often half-jokingly say my still-life compositions are ‘my life in pictures’. It is true, though, because the items I carefully place in my art are things owned by family or friends (people are becoming afraid to ask me to their homes… but I do return what I borrow… eventually).”
“One of my recent paintings has a collection of vases each with two handles, along with two figures with their hands on their hips. I named it ‘Hands on Hips; the Amphora Revolt’, alluding to the amphora shaped vases which are representative of the female form. I tell everyone it is a very feisty painting.”
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“Another painting has my father’s collection of lanterns, called ‘Enlightened Past’. Included with the lanterns is my great-grandmother’s little lantern that she used as a flashlight as she walked from her home in Suisun to the neighboring town of Fairfield, where I live now.”
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“I also have a series of paintings featuring a little wooden doll that belonged to my grandmother. The doll had no name, so I started calling her Miss Mary, and she has starred in a series of ‘Perils of Pauline’ adventures. She has been ‘Trapped in Time’ in a Mason jar, stalked by a wooden panther, and threatened by a vaporizer. But things are looking up for her as she has recently found both a candy Life Saver and a fortune cookie.”
“My husband, Lee, says my still lifes that incorporate animals creates an ‘enhanced realism’ – a real, but seemingly unlikely composition. For instance, a still-life setting with a cat sitting quietly in the midst of expensive and fragile glass objects or a cat laying on top of a stack of pillows surrounded by rare glass and ceramic objects.”
Occasionally, Jane creates paintings she refers to as “Heritage Paintings.” These include items owned by several generations of a family, such as a grandmother, mother and daughter who each contribute an item – a tea pot or perhaps an umbrella – that are incorporated into a still-life.”
“In all of my paintings, I include something made of glass, just for the sheer joy of painting the transparencies.”
Jane paints almost exclusively in watercolors. “I love the transparency inherent in watercolors and the brilliant colors I can achieve. The translucency I can find with watercolors cannot be found in opaque paints. I love the pacing of watercolors and have found they suit the way I work. I have also learned how to deal with the unforgiving quality of watercolors by honing my drawing skills and finding creative ways of working through the almost inevitable missteps that occur. I also enjoy working in mosaic, warm glass, ceramics and colored pencil.”
Among Jane’s artistic influences, she cites the work of Janet Fish. “You can see her influence in my work through use of color and transparency. I also enjoy the work of so many other artists, but outstanding in my mind is the work of James McNeill Whistler: his telling brushstrokes and the influence of Japanese artworks found in his use of perspective and patterns speak to me.”
And Jane’s personal view of the world greatly enhances her work. “I have synesthesia. I see letters, words, and numbers in color. I believe this trait has contributed to my fascination with color, especially bright colors. My studio is filled with a cornucopia of colorful objects that end up getting incorporated into my paintings. Even my wall clock is painted in bright colors. My storage bins are multi-colored. My husband says my studio is my ‘world of color’ that provides me, him and my clients with a positive mood enhancement.”
An Active Approach to Marketing
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In addition to marketing her work through her own website (www.janeloveallstudio.com), Jane displays her paintings in local galleries and participates in Open Studio events and art shows at local wineries. She also enters many local, regional and national art shows. She also plans to increase her presence on the web, including an eBay business.
“Every year, I hold two annual events at my home studio – on the third weekend of June and the first weekend of December. This year, my annual Summer Art Show and Open Studio will be held June 20th and 21st and my Holiday Art Show will be held December 5th and 6th.”
“Lee helps me with marketing, research, sales fulfillment, advertising and business development. I am very fortunate (or very smart) to have found an extremely supportive husband and partner in creating and sustaining my art studio.”
Adding Something Extra with Fine Art Registry®
Jane began tagging and registering her work with Fine Art Registry® in November, 2008, after Lee discovered FAR® while searching the internet for a service that could add value and legitimacy to her art.
Says Jane, “The FAR tagging and registration system intrigues my clients and prospective clients. The FAR website provides me with a single location where I can permanently document my art. I believe it is an excellent marketing tool. Tagging and registration of my art with FAR is another way of showing my clients and prospective clients that I am an art professional and in the business of selling my art.
“When I sell a piece, I like to include items with my work that provide more value for my clients. I believe FAR tagging and registration is the most important value-added service I can provide them, and it is very economical for me to include.”
“Established collectors of my work will be more comfortable with their purchase since they will already be familiar with how FAR works. Whereas, less experienced collectors of my work will appreciate that I have given them ’something extra’ and opened a door that will help teach them to become experienced collectors. That’s a value-added service! FAR helps fulfill my goal of helping my clients become knowledgeable art collectors that will truly appreciate and enjoy my art. And clients are excited about having a permanent record of their purchased art online.”
So far, Jane has tagged and registered all her unframed pieces, as well as each new piece as it is completed. But she is so dedicated to having all her work registered with FAR that she is embarking on a project to disassemble framed works, tag them and then reassemble them. It is that important to her.
Sharing Her Expertise with Others
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Besides working as an artist, Jane opens her studio as a teaching space for both children and adults. She instructs in a variety of media, including painting in tempera, watercolor and acrylic, drawing in pencil, colored pencil and marker, papier-mâché, ceramics, mosaics, and glass fusing.
“I am also the only elementary art specialist employed by the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District and teach art to 600 students each week. I find my job both exhausting and exhilarating. I hope they learn as much from me as I learn from them.”
True to her original decision at a young age to become an artist, Jane looks forward to a future of sharing her unique visual stories with the world.
“I will always be painting. About ten years ago, my goal was to paint everyday. I have kept close to that goal, taking very few days off with no painting. I have found that this regimen not only improves my art skills, but also energizes me and keeps my enthusiasm high. I am known for my vibrant ‘happy’ paintings that cheer and entertain their audience.”
See more of Jane’s work at her own website (www.janeloveallstudio.com) and at her Fine Art Registry gallery.
Source: http://www.fineartregistry.com/featured_artist/jane-loveall/
