Born in a large postwar industrial city in the north of England with a genetic ability to draw I was encouraged as a young child to paint. Despite decades of classes and art schools I never had the guts to call myself an “artist”; yet art opened up a world to me, as well as a lifetime of adventure. Amazed at my survival, I now find myself in a small industrial city surrounded by natural beauty and art. Producing art and teaching others how to enjoy art brings me such contentment but I still struggle to produce work that is not lost to the craft itself.
In the paintings I have been producing since my arrival in Beacon, NY I have been trying to capture the natural beauty of the mountains and the contrast and beauty of the buildings associated with Beacon’s industrial past. This has also led to many paintings exploring the life of trees and their relationship to the landscape. Color and the way the eye moves across the canvas is important to me. Many of my works have unseen underwork or bits of material which help me misdirect my drawing. As you get closer to the canvas, or stand at a different angle these are more obvious. Lately I have been using acrylic transfer and collage for my under-paintings.
Background:
Jan Dolan attended Manchester College of Art, England, Massachusetts College of Art, and graduated from UMass, Boston. She has continued to take many art courses over the years including post grad courses at Framingham State College. Jan has been actively drawing and painting and creating all her life and has recently moved from representational work to exploring the imaginary mind with collage, pencil, crayon and acrylics, and wood carving. She currently lives in Beacon, NY
Contact on FaceBook at JanDolanArtist or Jan Billingham Dolan