I am a contemporary colourist landscape artist and mentor to artists
I was born in 1957 in Hertfordshire, UK, and moved to Devon in 2007. I was a graphic designer for over twenty years, so colour and composition have always been a big part of my world. In 2005 I completed a BA (Hons) in Fine Art, and in 2008 a Masters in Arts and Ecology.
I am a colourist, leaning towards abstract expressionism. Initially my work comes from a continual obsession with colour in the landscape, man-made and natural – blocks and stripes of it, for this is what I see day-to-day. Oh, and in my final pieces I often can’t resist adding a little pizazz with fluorescent pigments.
Horizontal stripes make up my new work – if we are far enough away from the horizon, our view will appear pretty flat; this to me is calming, like looking out to sea is calming. Calm is one of the things I am aiming at alongside encouraging one’s own contemplation and serenity.
The world’s fragility is a fundamental part of my work – my awareness of people’s and nature’s struggles are key; so in addition to my obsession with colour, my use of certain materials evokes subliminal undertones of big issues; by this I mean the use of PLA (polylactic acid, a transparent film made of vegetable starches), which is a direct reference to the crippling effects of plastic. The use of metal and other materials and multiple glazing techniques are articulating history.
I travel as much as I can; my work is a direct response to Africa, Europe, South East Asia, India and New Zealand as well the South West of England where I live.
My aim is to encourage the viewer their own space for contemplation and meditation; time to create their own narratives and hopefully peace. All work comes form my travels around this globe, but I don’t describe a scene. I want you to do that.
It delights me when people connect to my work, as they are also connecting to me.
“The pleasure of pretty art draws on dissatisfaction: if we did not find life difficult, beauty would not have the appeal it does”. (Art As Therapy, Alain de Botton and John Armstrong. Phaidon Press Ltd, London, 2017, pp19.).
Jane Hodgson, MA Arts & Ecology, BA (Hons) Fine Art. Mentor. Teacher. Accredited Life Coach.
For more information on how I work please click here to go to my ‘about’ page.