Artists & Makers

Jane Aston

Art Forms

Mixed media, Painting

Artist information

As early as I can remember, I wanted to be an Art Teacher and in 1980 I qualified as an Art and Textiles Teacher in Birmingham. I enjoyed inspiring my students to experiment, have fun and to achieve their potential by believing in themselves. I am now a full time Artist working mainly in acrylics because they dry so quickly and will mirror the qualities of watercolours and oils which I also love working with. More recently, I have explored a variety of other media to create new textures in my artwork.

Painting brings me great joy, gratitude and pure escapism. My artwork is inspired by my childhood memories, extensive travels, history of art studies, meditation practices, music and regular walks with my lovely dog Gem. I simply love moving paint around the canvas and adding layers of colours and textures until a natural conclusion is reached. My knowledge of composition, colour, textures and mark making techniques help me to capture a moment in time or the essence of spirit.

As a contemporary Artist, I so enjoy painting intuitively. It’s like unravelling layers of spiritual emotions and I particularly enjoy it when someone resonates with one of my paintings by tapping into it’s magical connection or special energy. I believe that every painting tells it’s own story and everyone sees a different picture. Most of my contemporary artwork can be viewed or displayed in different orientations bringing great versatility to the finished painting. In contrast I love the precision involved in painting commissioned pet portraits. Clients love how I capture the true personality of their pets.

I am proud to exhibit my art work as a Purple Gallery Artist and as a member of the North Worcestershire Artist Collective (NWAC). Last year the two were combined together and I had five mixed media paintings selected for The NWAC Spring Exhibition at The Purple Gallery in Bournville, Birmingham. Other exhibitions were held at Hanbury Hall, Blackwell Community Hall, Script Haven, The Artery and The NWAC Art Trail.

As a result of sharing ideas and working as a team with the NWAC and as a member of the Worcestershire Open Studios (WOS) I’ve realised just how important it is to me to be part of a community of Artists. With this in mind I have developed ‘Wednesday Wanders’ where I invite my newsletter subscribers to join us once a month to visit a variety of interesting venues. We have visited Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Ikon Gallery, The Barber Institute of Fine Art, Purple Gallery, Winterbourne House and Gardens, Coughton Court, Lichfield Cathedral and Studley Castle.

As an experienced Art Teacher I love sharing my knowledge and experience with other artists. I love seeing their surprise and delight when they discover something new!! I hold my Winter Art Workshops at Barnt Green Meeting House. This year they will commence on the first Saturday of December, January, February and March 2025/26. Further details are available on my website Art Lessons page.

Following on from the joy experienced by others on my Wednesday Wanders and Winter Workshops I now proudly host Art Retreats. Places are currently filling fast for  our September 2025 Spanish Art Retreat. Further details are available on my website The benefits of attending such an event are amazing!!

Finally as a result of exhibiting with the WOS Event I have demonstrated my intuitive art process at a number of Art Society Events and have inspired many to have fun following such a delightful artistic process. 

Much of my artwork appears on my website www.janeastonstudios.com and I can also be found on instagram @janeastonstudios.

Website and social media

janeastonstudios
Jane Aston
https://www.janeastonstudios.com

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