Jan's profile

I am an emerging acrylic abstract painter. I entered painting in 2022 due to boredom and loneliness after moving to Maryland during the pandemic. I signed up for a 12-week online painting class and discovered a needed path to interact with myself. Within the painting experience, I discovered I could create my own adventure! Art suprised me - becoming the antidote to my rewarding but one-sided role as a sex and couple's psychotherapist. Within painting, I can return to self after hours of living in other people's worlds.

I begin a painting through play. I lean into impulse and curiosity. It’s a welcomed relief to not think or plan. I react to what I put down and wait for the painting to lead me to my next decision. Colors are often chosen because they are leftover on a palette from a prior piece and at other times, I select the colors based on my mood. I like utilizing limitations to make decisions with less analysis and more flow and even impulse. Organic spheres, circles, and geometric shapes often enter my work. I like the use of mixed media and often will use pastels, crayons, and pencils to make additional extensions of color and line. The use of differences at each juncture adds more complexity and intrigue. I seek to be enveloped as I create and to evoke sensory experiences for others in my art.

Avoiding the predictable is my passion. I hate feeling bored. I’ve found that discovering the unexpected shape, line, or color combo surprises and delights, bringing adventure to my day-to-day living. I share my art with others to offer them a few seconds of novelty, envelopment, and surprise- a break from the everyday.

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