Jane Schafer

I am a native of Philadelphia and moved with my husband to Smith Mountain Lake in 2002.  Recently, I retired and left a life long love of my profession as a physical therapist.  Together we raised two wonderful children while living in the suburbs of Chicago and later Washington, D.C.  My passions growing up were sports and later gardening, but always I had a persistent desire to draw and express myself artistically with paint.  After moving to Southwest Virginia and recently retiring, I finally had the time to play with paint.

I was initially drawn to watercolor because of the ease of getting it down on paper but soon found that it is a most difficult medium to master.  Now after years of trying, and a few workshops with talented artists under my belt, I am beginning to enjoy its fluidity and vibrancy, focusing on using wet in wet technique.  I love how the colors flow and mingle together and am particularly interested in abstracting my composition while at the same time having elements of realism.  I have found that I enjoy exploring many non traditional approaches with watercolor, using texture, opacity and collage for example (rice paper and textured grounds).

My goal is to continue to grow in my artistic and visual skills in order to share more effectively the emotion I feel about my subject matter, without being photo realistic.  Currently, I am drawn to painting nature and animals and want to share their beauty and personality with others.  I also enjoy painting people experiencing life, as opposed to portraiture.

Recently, I have been exploring the acrylic medium depicting places, people and landscapes of my travels in Europe as well as the beauty of the local landscape.  My art can be viewed at ArtVisions Gallery in Burnt Chimney, The Electric Company Co-op in Bedford, and the Artisan Center in Rocky Mount.  I hope you enjoy my work.  I can be reached at eightpinesart@gmail.com or 540-721-2317.

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