Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jane Barton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jane, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
I’ve always been a glass half full type of person and it’s probably from my parents who shared this life view. Both of them had early life challenges and in spite of that they worked hard and succeeded in building full, successful, meaningful lives for themselves and for their kids. Both passed on a “can do” attitude to us. My dad, his father and my uncles began a business that sustained 4 families and when he retired he ran a trade association to help and mentor others in the field. My mom even began a successful resale shop called, “Why Not?”
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I call myself an artist, but that has meant so many different things over the course of my career. I started professionally as a fashion illustrator, then book illustrator, then I built a business in graphic design and branding. While still running my own studio I earned a Master of Arts degree and my thesis about illustrators who became artists of the west pointed me in the direction the I’ve followed for 20 years now: fine art painting, primarily of the west but also of the world at large. I got my masters so that I could teach and I do. It was especially valuable during the pandemic when I was able to connect to artists locally and in different countries via my zoom classes. I have painted en plein air all over the world and my classes combine art and my love of travel. I help students of all ages and abilities learn how to put their cameras down and create travel sketchbooks instead. For 20 years I was honored to be able to share this idea of a “creative sketchbook” every summer when I taught the art program for Dream Street which brings young adults with life threatening or terminal illness together for a week in Tucson. The program offers a variety of programs to help them learn skills to better cope with their illnesses and to make connections with others who share their often devastating life situation. I’m not a trained art therapist but I feel that art is powerful when taught in a safe, encouraging environment. I was able to find a wonderful artist to take over the job when I moved from Tucson to Phoenix. In the last two years, besides continuing to teach in person and remotely, I have accepted some very large, exciting painting commissions for hotels here in Phoenix and in Tucson. These combine the art director skills I developed in my graphic design business with my painting. I love working with someone’s vision for a special environment or space and bringing it to life–it’s like storytelling in paint and who doesn’t like a good story?
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I think the most important lesson I’ve learned was from my dad, who said, “Never be afraid of change.” I have welcomed change throughout my career and being open to whatever came my way as well as reaching for things that I felt I would enjoy and be good at has taken me on a truly eclectic and interesting path. Second, of course, is to work hard, do your due diligence, and don’t blow the deadline! Finally, keep learning–whatever your field–being open to new ideas, different cultures, discovering new ways of looking at ordinary things will keep your work fresh exciting.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
The book Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils and Rewards of Artmaking by Ted Orland and David Bayles is one that I read years ago and recommend to all of my students. Orland and Bayles are artists themselves. The most important thing I learned from this book is that when they followed up on art students 20 years after graduation they found that it wasn’t the most talented or obviously gifted students who were still successfully making art. It was the artists who found a community to share their art journey. I always urge my students to find and embrace a group of artists help them go through the ups and downs of their careers. And to help others in the same way because we can identify and share these experiences from our own lives. There are many organized groups out there but I also encourage them to gather their own “support group” to help them persevere in a field that can be as tough as it is rewarding.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.janebartonstudio.com
- Instagram: @janebartonstudio
- Other: I have several Youtube videos online for classes that I’ve taught. Also you can find some free videos I’ve recorded at www.winslowartcenter.com
Image Credits
©JaneBartonStudio
