Jane’s childhood art memories flow as brightly as her current art. She simply exudes joy and tells me it was her dad that most inspired her to become an artist. Weekly, Jane’s dad took the family out for ‘car-trips’. And explained to Jane and her 4 siblings it was the wonders of God’s love that painted the skies blue and the Arizona hills orange. When thunder crackled across the sky her father told them not to worry, it was only the angels moving their furniture around. Jane learned to see beauty in everything.
Every Sunday morning Jane’s dad read aloud to them from the funny papers and encouraged the children to create cartoons of their family life. Jane excelled in this work of describing her family’s antics and soon found herself trembling on the way to the principal’s office! What offence had she committed she wondered? Oh relief she sighed to discover it was for acclaim, not mischief she had been called.
Jane fell in love with and married Chuck King, a naval Officer whose work required long spells of sea duty. Jane used these times to teach art to her children, and any others who wanted to learn. This teaching learning fun expanded her skills as she began to sell her art. Soon her watercolor paintings and oil paintings were traveling around the world, selling from their local sea side market. Years past and Jane began to meet other artists and enjoyed taking classes with them. She continued to learn and to teach her own ‘Art is Fun’ classes at the Senior Center.
Today, at 89 she continues to inspire all ages with her paintings and her love of art and color. She still takes art classes and still sells her art. You may see her paintings of local scenes at The Artist’s Gallery in Olympia, WA.
She calls her painting style a window-technique, with many colors and much light going through the painting. She likes to know God is in her life as she paints and looks for views in threes:
A view, a viewer and three objects, for the viewer to view.
She says she has no one favorite painter, no favorite historical movement, no periods or styles she prefers. She humbly recommends we paint from our hearts in colors that makes us feel happy. Begin your art with drawing and doodling, a fun start for sketching. Turn the music on and paint loosely on newsprint or some inexpensive paper. Use a decent brush if you can and dance to the rhythm of your strokes. Watercolors are affordable to start with. Try painting a slice of watermelon. Then sit back and eat the fruit! “GO GIRL, GO MAN! GOD’S NATURE IS OUT THERE AND God waits for you to see it!"
Interviewed by Susan Flora Glendenning for the Artist’s Gallery 7/28/22
Comments