Let Curiosity Guide You with Jane Monteith

Jane 0:00
All of these ideas start flooding in, and then you think, Oh, maybe I should switch, I love what they're doing. It's so nice and pretty and on trend or whatever. And I find, I have to just not even go down that road or look at those people, I just need to stick with what I like to do an experiment on my own. Because then I think that's the way you come up with your own unique voice, not from looking at others, even though they're inspiring, but I feel as though I tend to then want to do what they're doing. So I try really hard not to look elsewhere.

Kellee 0:40
You're listening to Unfold with Kellee Wynne this is an unpolished, imperfect, and totally honest podcast, and I'm talking to all the artists, creatives, visionaries, and changemakers, who want to live a life by design and not by default. If you're ready to have thought provoking eye opening and heart centred conversations, that explore the stories that made us who we are, and break through the boundaries of expectations, then you are in the right place.

Kellee 1:14
Hey, all my friends, artists and creative souls welcome again, to Unfold with Kellee Wynne you know what, I just love being able to bring this podcast to you because we get to talk about all the things that are, you know, that are important to artists besides just the making of the art, but everything that surrounds it. And since we've had this running theme, about finding your voice, I'm going to continue to go down that path for just a little while longer. Because guess what? The Virtual Art Summit is coming this May. And it's all about finding your voice. So what better way to introduce you to the virtual summit than to introduce one of our guests. Jane Monteith will be in this year's Virtual Art Summit. This is the third year that I'm doing it. I invite 15 artists plus myself to provide about a 30 minute art lesson that will really dive into the heart of why we make how we make and how we find our voice. And the cool thing about the Virtual Art Summit is it's pay what you can for 30 days you have access for whatever price you can afford, or you can purchase it to keep it so mark your calendars because this may it's coming up. But in the meantime, if it would be really great to talk to pretty well established exciting artists, Jane mon teeth, she makes all these gorgeous textured layers of papers. And she turns them into gorgeous collage paintings that are covered in resin. But it's great to hear how it all began for her. She used to do mural design. And I think there was just a time that came to a halt for her that she needed to be able to pull back and find her own voice create her own thing. And she discovered the beautiful, colourful allure of alcohol inks. And from there, it was just history. She started her own online business. She has great art courses and a lot of instruction that can inspire you. So now let's get right into this episode so you can get to know Jane Monteith.

Kellee 3:20
Well, hello, Jane, I am so excited to welcome you on to the podcast today.

Jane 3:25
Hey Kellee

Kellee 3:26
I am thrilled that you are going to be in the virtual art summit this year. I've been watching your art as it is evolved over the years. And I love what you're making, especially because you make a lot of layers of paper and shapes and colours. And it's just like so easy to just get caught up. And so I wanted to talk to you about how you got here to where you're at with your voice and your style and what you're doing with your career.

Jane 3:54
Well hey Kellee, woohoo. I'm excited to be here. Thanks so much for having me. Congrats on your podcast, by the way. It's amazing. And yes. Oh my goodness. I'm excited for your summit as well looking forward to that. But yes, I have come a long way. I think with my art I was just looking at my account my Instagram the other day and I actually had a post on some of the very first things that I created that people know me for, I think and that's my collage style art. So I'm a collage artist and I've been one for quite a while I started off with alcohol ink. Yeah, transitioning into that I came across at one time in an art store. And oh, I loved it because it was so vibrant and colourful and I thought this is really cool. I want to start using this and incorporating it into my art so became these little mod minis that I created with resin. I love resin and collage became my thing and now it's evolved more I would say to a lot more mixed media in my collage but it's very simple. Like you said I like to use a lot of organic style shapes are cut things out and layer them and experiment. And you know, just come up with something simple. But yeah, it's really cool to look at. And I'm big into the metallics right now like the gold. Well, I've always loved gold. Like who doesn't love gold? Right? I love gold. Yeah, yeah, I've always loved that. But that's not what I always have done. I used to be a muralist, I had my own business, and I travelled around my province of Ontario, and I did a lot of mural designs on the crash mats in school gyms. So I've done hundreds and hundreds of schools. And I did that for about 10 years, before I actually came to be on Instagram. So I transitioned after one long winter, which is what I feel as though we're going through right now I, I just I'm done with winter, I don't know where you are, if it's sunny or not. But actually, it's nice here today. But anyway, I digress, I really needed to get away from travelling. And I wanted to transition online as an artist. So I used screening inks in my business at that time. And I loved it, because you know, they were highly saturated, a lot of pigment. And when I came across alcohol links, I really found it an easy transition to use that and begin creating art that way and then sharing it on Instagram. And it just kind of evolved from there. And I've always continued down that that path and experimented along the way. And you know, this is where I am right now just doing a lot of metallics and simple shapes in my collage finished with resin, of course, because I love resin.

Kellee 6:42
So the alcohol ink was a really big boom for a while there, it seems like it might not be as big of a deal at this moment. But one of the reasons I was drawn to you, when you have like, you know, 10s of 1000s of people trying out alcohol ink, I could see, Jane's work was different in the sense of the way that you were using it and then using it and collage you'd like almost use the alcohol ink wasn't the finished product so much as it was a ways to create more layers and dimension in your work. So that was why I was like those mod minis Yeah, I even remember the mod minis. And it was just like, well, this is a totally different take on it. Where did the resin come into play? Was that just to preserve it to make it more like?

Jane 7:28
Yeah, I and I had been dabbling in resin as well. And it just made sense to pop that on to alcoholic because you know if if you know resin, whatever you added on top of it just pops those colours underneath it even more so. So when you added on top of alcohol ink, which is already a vibrant medium, it just it just makes it explode with colour that much more. And I just loved that. I love that glossy finish. And yes, you're right, it is a form of protection as well it seals it and you don't have to worry about the layers shifting or moving with the collage layers on top of it. So it just made sense for me to add the the resin and have that finished product. It just looks so pretty.

Kellee 8:13
Yeah, it does look gorgeous. So tell me how did you even get into murals in the first place? We're going to go all the way back to the beginning. Was art always something that we were drawn to? Did you study?

Jane 8:29
Yeah. I think it's kind of a Yeah. When you when you ask a creative person, have they always been creative? I think most of those people would probably say yes, I've always been creative from you know, as far as I can remember, back when I was a little girl, my grandfather had a print shop and I'd love go, I loved going in there and just the smell of the paper and just these font type metal letterings that they used to create and make newspapers and print materials. And anyway, I loved that and visiting and I would sit and draw and use all of these colourful papers. And so it's always been something that I've enjoyed doing. But I haven't always been an artist in that role. Being a full time artist. I've been in corporate I've been a nonprofit. But yet being in those roles, I've always managed to bring in a form of creativity into a really boring administrative role. I find some way to make it creative. And then I just moved into the mural design business. It was a it was a niche thing that I moved into I had an opportunity from a company that creates the mats for the school gyms the vinyl crash mats Yeah. And somebody said hey, you know would you like to create a design a mascot for this this gym mat and I said okay, sure because I have a little bit of graphic design background as well. I use Photoshop and Illustrator in those those applications. So it was easy for me to create some logo designs and that sort of thing. And then I went into the school and I started, and it kind of took off from there. And there was really nobody else in the province of Ontario that that I live in that was doing this, the girl that was doing it before she moved out west. And so it was just me, myself and I and I literally travelled all across Ontario, somewhere every week in a school, whether it was a public school, you know, high school, elementary school, whatever. And I would paint these mascots and logos on the crash mats. And it was just being in the right place at the right time. But it was my own business. And I did it for over 10 years. And as I said, I just got tired of it. Honestly, I loved creating and painting. But when you get to a point where you're just dreading getting in your car, and driving two hours to the school, and dealing with the school, and the kids, and as lovely as they all were, I just didn't enjoy the actual process anymore. So that was a red flag to me to say, You know what I need to transition and do something else I needed to plan, I wanted to get out of what I was doing and travelling, I knew I wanted to be in the online space. And specifically Instagram, and I started on Instagram in a totally different direction, I was huge into fitness. And I thought I'm gonna make all this money, like being a fitness instructor and writing a book on, you know, whatever, anyway, it didn't work out, it failed miserably. And I just thought I'm gonna go back to what I love most, which is being creative and making art. And that's really the you know, how it ended up being where I am today, four years later, essentially.

Kellee 11:47
So that's very interesting that you are already very online minded. A lot of people like they're starting off on their creativity, and they're like, What do I do with it now, but you really had made a decision in a way that you wanted to take advantage of this whole new Wild West of marketing and business building. And, and so you, and I think that's really quite fascinating that you're like, Okay, I know, this is the place to be, let me find my niche. Let me find out what's gonna work, I am so glad your fitness business didn't work out. I'm sure all of your students and followers are very thrilled as well. And it's kind of funny to me, like, I've always been an entrepreneur at heart. So I can see that, like, you try all these different things. But also, you've been a Creative At Heart your entire life. So it does make sense that eventually the two would find their way together. And you said it's only been about four years that you've been online doing that,

Jane 12:47
for what I'm doing currently. Yeah, prior to that, it was fitness oriented. You know, I had a small following. And but yeah, that's, that's a whole other conversation.

Kellee 12:59
We're not gonna get into it's a real, it's a really important though factor that we try many things before we find the right thing. And even once we find the thing that we love, that still shifts some more some changes along the way, whether it's with our art, or it's our business, or just even how we live our life, but I love it, you realise that there was an opportunity for you to build your whole, like dream business online, it was just figuring out what the dream business was. So coming back to art really makes a difference, you know, how, you know, I mean, that's a huge transition from painting. You know, at school, Jim's on these big graphic designs to creating for yourself again, I'd love for you to explain like that process of diving in and discovering your voice and how you came up with like, your point of view, which is, you know, like, there's, there's nothing new under the sun, no doubt, there's like a lot of overlap between different styles and stuff. But you're still speaks out, like when you go through a feed, you know, you know, Jane loves design, just you know, it pops right there immediately. And you know, it's your work. So how did you I mean, it's always evolving, no doubt, but how did you get Yeah, first point of like, to self discovery?

Jane 14:15
Wow, that's a really good question. Because I think it's, it's still ongoing. I mean, for me, I'm still learning and I'm still discovering, and I think I am still trying to find my voice. I think it's just one of those things I'll continue doing because I'm such an experimental person. And I'm one of those people that I I really tried to go outside of the the norm and the lines of what you should or shouldn't do. I find either artists are very to the book and you know, if they've gone to artists school, then they like to do things as they should. And obviously, there's fundamentals and things that you you need to follow and adhere to, but I've always been an experiment kind of person. And in fact, I mentioned it in my newsletter last week that I'm in my space, I work out of my home, I have a little room off to the off to the one side that I use for art experimenting. And I'm like a mad scientist in there. I love different techniques and different products. And I'm always just being random and having fun. That's the way I like to create. And so when I was transitioning, and starting out, it was, it really was a matter of experimenting, like I said, when I found alcohol inks, and then incorporating other mediums together, and then the resin on top of that, and just kind of creating a little bit of a niche product, I guess it's not really a product, because it's art, but it's just something a little bit different. So I'm always trying to think a little bit outside the box, and how you can add elements and incorporate ideas and techniques, maybe that you've been inspired from others, but then to make that your own. And so that's what I always strive to do is I actually try not to go down that rabbit hole. And maybe I don't know if you do as well, Kellee, but whether you go on Pinterest, or Instagram, and you know, you start scrolling and then you see something you really really love by one artist. And then you see something else. And all of these ideas start flooding in, and then you think, Oh, maybe I should switch. I love what they're doing. It's so nice and pretty and on trend or whatever. And I find I have to just not even go down that road or look at those people. I just need to stick with what I like to do an experiment on my own. Because then I think that's the way you come up with your own unique voice not from looking at others, even though they're inspiring, but I feel as though I tend to then want to do what they're doing. So I try really hard not to look elsewhere. Do you find that or?

Kellee 16:50
I find that I spend way too much time on Instagram or Pinterest. But I agree with you in the sense that when we try to look outside of ourselves for the solution of what's going to be successful, what's going to be beautiful, what's going to be well received, then we're really not going to make great work. It's not from our heart. So if anything if I take the time to look, what I do is I look for the common thread through everything that I love. Then I have to put it away and say now what is it that I want to say and what I want to do that's usually the only way I can approach all that consumption of social media and images because it I do remember a time in the past where I'm like, well, here's an example for you. Emily Jeffords has been a very popular artists since the moment I landed on Instagram, and I love her work and I used to work in landscape. So there was part of me that's like, I'm gonna make dreamier landscapes that look like Emily Jeffords and yet my hand never made that mark. And that's because that's Emily Jeffords mark. That's how she makes her art. So when we do start seeing something that we admire, and we want to replicate, and then we try to do it, it's not coming from our heart. So I agree with you, you do kind of like just have to get to that point where you put it aside. And and like you said, Just experiment like crazy in order to figure out what it is that you love. You look at my work. Now you would never think there was a moment where I was trying to emulate Emily Jeffords because it doesn't look anything like her. But that's because I started spending enough time to try and develop my own point of view. I think it's natural for artists of the beginning to go through that phase of, of looking, copying, taking courses emulating, but yeah, at some point, we have to put it all the way and just kind of figure out what we want.

Jane 18:38
Yeah, for sure. Yeah. And it can be so overwhelming to Yeah, I think a lot of artists struggle. I mean, that's the the biggest issue or struggle with artists, right is to find their own voice are always saying, Well, how do I find my style? How do I get there? And yeah, if you start going down that rabbit hole of looking at everyone else, then it does, it becomes overwhelming, but I think people need to realise all artists go through that and I I've mentioned this before to other artists that Rothko is a really good example because obviously his style is recognisable with his gradient blocks of colour. We all recognise that and lots of artists emulate him as a true master in that type of art. Yet he didn't always create that way. He did a lot of subway scene depictions that a lot of people aren't aware of. So he went through a realistic phase of painting before he landed on you know what he's truly known for. So it's good that other artists know that they're not alone. And we're all trying to find and define style. So

Kellee 19:40
For sure, like any of them even if you go through all the different periods of Picasso went through. Oh, right. Yeah, yeah. So for you, are there artists, referential artists, like I'm not talking about trendy Instagram artists, but like more famous well known Worldwide well known, like I see some similarities to what's the the really well known collage artists he just passed away recently. Is it Rex Ray or?

Jane 20:11
Oh yeah, I love him. i He was probably one of my first inspirations when I started creating. I loved his shapes. And I'm not sure who he was inspired by. Because I feel as though that look is all over the place right here. It's very retro. And I don't know, I would say what 50s or 60s kind of style with the shape and geometric shapes and that sort of thing. Yeah, I love Rex ray or loved him. But I don't know I have a huge diversity of of artists who I truly love and admire. And I'm trying to there's a really high my the name of her escapes me, but she does really cool rock sculptures that are really, really pretty. And I love that rock stacking carne care, however you want to pronounce it. Yeah, that look, because I've always loved the rock stacking natural rock formation. And that sort of look has evolved in my work. Maybe not so much now. But yes, right at the beginning, I was I was inspired by Rex Ray, not so much. Now. There's a number of other artists that I really like actually currently on Instagram. I love Corinne Luxaire. She is a Canadian artists out of Montreal, love her work. She is paint, she paints and also does collage work very simple shapes. A few others that I like or include the masters like I love like Picasso as well as Mondrian, I love Degas just all different styles. And I think if you can pull elements from each of those artists that you admire and love, and decide like what you said, what is it that you like, from each of those artists? And how can you make it unique to yourself and in your own art, then that's a beautiful thing, right? So

Kellee 22:00
Oh, for sure. But it's also the experimentation along the way that we keep taking those elements. And then like, I love how you said, How can I challenge myself to push it further? Like, how can I express this in a way that's different? Like we're taking alcohol inks where everybody's doing the pouring on Yupo paper, and then you just take it to the next level by cutting it all up and making these gorgeous paintings and collage elements importing resin over? And it's like, it's almost like it's the what if method?

Jane 22:31
Yeah, what if I try this I will this look. And that's exactly how I am when I am creating. I just I'm so random and experimental. And that, for me is the way that then I come up with something that's truly unique to me that I can incorporate it into my art. And I know that when I create it, it's not like you said no one else is going to create the exact same thing that I just did. Right? It's going to be a J Monteith look and feel and recognisable.

Kellee 23:02
Yeah. So would you say any of those experimentations were great failures. And by failure, I mean, a learning lesson that then prompted you to do something different because I don't really think anything of art is a failure. But sometimes we try things that were like, Okay, what the hell was I thinking?

Jane 23:18
Yeah, absolutely. I'm always failing, which is a good thing. Because yeah, through failing, then you come up with these other ideas that you know, you may not have come up with, if you hadn't tried what you're initially intending to do. I always envision something in my mind first, and then I think, okay, how can I do this. And then through experimentation, I come up with some result, whether it's how it was supposed to look, in my mind is, you know, not always the case. And that's usually then with that failure. But then I can take that and flip it around and say, Well, how can I make this work? And it's usually something that ends up being a happy accident as well, I would say. So yeah, you just kind of got to have fun and just relax and not be I'm not I'm not serious when I create, you know, some artists are really serious and do their stuff by the book, but I'm just not like that i i am much more of a creative person, and I'm rewarded with what the end result is when I just don't try. As soon as I start trying and thinking about it and overanalyzing and worrying and being pressured then I'm never going to create my best work it has to be when I feel like doing it just relaxing, whether you have music on or not and just doing your thing, whether it's 15 minutes a day or half an hour or a couple of hours and getting lost in what you're doing. That's the best time to create.

Kellee 24:47
And the end results oftentimes turn out to be much better because of it out for sure. The perfection in the end the pressure off of you. Well how do you guide your students? Because one thing that's happened over the years of you being on Instagram and growing massive following is, you've been able to start teaching what you love and know. And for our students, when they're coming into a course, it's natural for them to learn step by step, what the teacher is teaching, but how do you like, kind of give them that nudge off the cliff and say, Now Fly, fly for yourself? How do you encourage them to experiment for themselves? And then take the things that you've taught them and expand upon it for themselves? What would you give to them to, you know, advice to them?

Jane 25:38
Well, I think exactly what I just said, and my courses I teach each week, and I'm always there as a support. I think that's key for artists who are looking to create, find their voice or their style, or just get involved into creating art, whether you know, they want to sell it or not, but finding their voice and being creative, it, the key to that is being in a supportive community. And I think for me, when students come through that, a course with me, we go through that together each week as a group. And then artists feel more confident in knowing that they're not alone. Because you know, we don't like to feel alone, we always need to be supported. And it's good to have feedback. So when they're going through that programme, with me, and as a group, everyone's all in the same boat doing the same thing. And they have the same goal, they all want to reach an end result. And be happy at the end from going through that. And so, going through with the support, and then teaching the steps as well, and allowing people to not feel pressured, or have to do something exactly by the book. And just to be free and experiment, then yeah, if people are going to feel happy at the end and feel rewarded, and however they want to continue on from there is, you know, their personal decision if they want to sell it. And then you know, feel even happier that they've created something that they can then sell, then that's just an added bonus.

Kellee 27:07
Yes, of course. And your courses involve a lot of the collage elements and making the papers and coming up with all I mean, man, you must have like a million ways to make paper at this point. I was watching on your Instagram and you like, come up with a dozen different ways just to use gold in the last week or so. And I'm like, what!

Jane 27:29
I'm on a gold kick. I'm on a gold kick. I've always loved gold, metallic gold. But wow, yes, I honestly have, I don't know, maybe half no more than half a dozen dozen different goals that I like to use. And yes, I like to layer with all of the different kinds of products and have fun layering and using different materials. So you know, obviously I use a lot of yupo paper with the alcohol ink, but I use anything and everything. And create Yes, just a variety of different paper textures using different products and mediums to come up with a unique look and feel to a collage paper. I'm not I don't like to go out and use hand like store bought stencils, I'll even create my own and I'll hand cut them. I really like the organic look and feel of those. So anything and everything to make it unique and not recognisable, that you would see something in a store from a stencil or something like that.

Kellee 28:25
Yeah, well, um, do you find like for me, when I start going down these little, like rabbit holes of ideas that it almost expands into this massive tunnel system, and you're like, Oh, if I if I can do it this way, then if I shift just one more to the right now I can do it this way. And next thing you know, it's like one idea will actually propel you into the next idea.

Jane 28:49
Yes, absolutely. Yeah, for sure. And I'll do it with all kinds of different products. I'm I love dabbling and creating the dimensional textures as well. And I find too, and I'm sure it's the same with you when you experiment outside of your normal practice or the products and the mediums that you usually are used to using on a daily basis. But you experiment with other things, it only helps you to improve and come up with new ideas that you can then bring back into your existing practice and process. Do you find that as well?

Kellee 29:22
Yeah, I mean, that for me, that's the whole goal is to I may have a point of view and a voice and when I create but I love to figure out how many different ways I can still share that style that is me through whole new techniques. Like there's part of me that's like, Okay, so my florals have a very distinct look. What if, I mean what if I did that with fibre? What does that look like? How would that look like on a new surface? I know like it's, again we come back to the what ifs right, like what you do next with gold.

Jane 29:58
Yes, absolutely. Yeah, I hopped onto your life. Last night, it was wonderful. You see such an amazing piece. It's so pretty and so vibrant. And yes, you have that colour palette and your style is definitely recognisable. So it's always like a joy to see. And I'm always like, oh, I want to include those colours in my own work. And I have a set colour palette, I find I'm always like the gold and the teals. So I'm trying really hard to, you know, get into the I'm focused on black and white and gold right now, I love that colour combination. But I do I love the vibrant colours that you use as well in your florals. And I sometimes look back at my mod minis that I've created with the alcohol ink, and they're so colourful, and I think Oh, should I go back to that colour palette as well? Yeah, but I just don't know, I'm a Gemini. So I constantly changed my mind on things. And my twin voice says no, let's go with this next week. So you never know what's gonna happen the week, the week after?

Kellee 30:59
Yeah, well, okay, I'm not a Gemini, but I changed my mind all the time, too. But I think that's part of being an artist. Absolutely. And when we talk about colour, we do find ourselves in a personal palette. And that may last for a long time, it can last for weeks or months or years, before we shift again, and I think that that's fine. Eventually everything comes in full circle. So you may find yourself back in those colours again, but sometimes I'm like, Okay, I'm going to push myself into a whole new palette. And then I'm like, Oh, why is this painting not working out? Oh, I'm in a whole new palette. So the good places to either say, okay, I can either go back to what I know. And I know I'll be fine. Or I keep pushing myself and make really crap art for for weeks, until I can push through the the uncomfort zone that I've gotten into, but I think there's either answers totally fine.

Jane 31:53
Right? I know, I've tried, I've tried so hard to incorporate read into my art, but I just can't do it. It works. I look at others. Artists who incorporate read and it looks fabulous. But I just can't do it. I've tried to push myself out of the comfort zone and incorporate red and white now I can't do it.

Kellee 32:13
I know for the longest time, I couldn't either. And then for some reason, one day, it's like now I can hardly put blue in my work. It just doesn't know. Right now it's not weird, where teal, turquoise were my favourite for so long. And so I think that this is the natural evolution that you were talking about from the get go when it comes to making art. Well, Picasso had his his blue period, he also had like a Roman period. And, you know, it's like you can you can really see that. Well, if you're making art for any period of time, it's bound to evolve for sure. Yes. And I think that also comes back to that comment you were saying earlier, like, you know, we can't just like look at what someone else is doing, and then try to just replicate that because we like what they've done. It's not always gonna work in our artwork. So, you know, my colour palette is different than your colour palette. I love gold. And I'm really obsessed with black right now. And I haven't even been using it in my work yet. So I'm like, I'm paying attention, especially when you like show behind the scenes, how you're making all of your different papers. And I'm like, I think I'm just gonna spend the whole summer making. Like, it looks so much fun. Anyone who wants to dive into that definitely would want to be following. It's Jane loves design as your Instagram, right?

Jane 33:33
That's right, yeah,

Kellee 33:35
You should be following her because like every day, you're gonna have a new idea that you want, that you want to experiment with. But that's where the joy of being an artist is, is that permission to experiment, you know. And I think along the way, there are things that I've learned that I really have no interest in, using, but we do have our faith as time goes on.

Jane 33:58
Absolutely, yeah, experimenting is key.

Kellee 34:02
Where are you right now with like, what's your next course you're going to release?

Jane 34:08
So my next course is my mixed media masterclass, which I'm launching or I have launched the last couple of years. And that's launching may 3 for enrollment. And again, it's taking all different levels of artists through my process and getting creativity flowing for mixed media collage and what we talked about which was the different textures, the paper collage textures that we create and just be random and have fun. So it's a number of weeks through different experimental phases of creating and different projects and different finishes on artwork. And it's a tonne of fun. It's a it's a usually a great group of artists and we have a lot of fun throughout the duration of the programme.

Kellee 34:52
And you get a anyone who joins gets that chance to like do their own 'What if experiments' every time adds up. There's like new materials and ways to explore.

Jane 35:06
Yeah. And it's great because in the Facebook group that I that I have for my mixed media masterclass, there's so many unique voices in there. People go through the programme. And even though obviously, you know, you're they're being taught steps to what I do in my process and the techniques and the products that I use. It's because it's so experimental, then everybody comes up with something completely different and unique. And they're able to then incorporate those ideas into their own artwork to make it unique to them, which is, which is essentially the the main reason that they're there. That's the key.

Kellee 35:40
Yeah. And do you ever come away with new ideas from your students?

Jane 35:45
Oh, absolutely. Yeah, there's so many students that I'm always blown away by, and I'm sure you have the same feeling with your own students in your courses, that you think wow, why didn't I think of that? Or is there you know, way over and above what you ever thought that your students would be able to create and do and they always blow me away with their creativity and what they come up with? It's it's beautiful stuff, and I'm honoured that they want to be part of my course and, and go along the journey with me.

Kellee 36:17
Well, I mean, it's pretty obvious why when you look at your work, it really stands out. And it looks fun. Every time you see it. It's like, Well, isn't that the whole point of art is to make, of course, in the end love to have something beautiful. But if the process is fun, then what's the point? But it looks? It looks like every moment is a load of fun. Probably a lot easier than driving around all the schools too.

Jane 36:41
Yeah. Yeah, I'm done with that. Oh, goodness. Yes. Memories.

Kellee 36:46
And where do you where, what would be like the next thing that you're really excited to try out that you haven't actually had a chance to do like that the next evolution in finding your voice? Have you thought about that?

Jane 36:58
Oh, that's a good question, Kellee. Wow. I know, I like I said, I love so many different styles. I really am big into, I think I'd like to try just work on Canvas without a resin finish. The problem that I have for me is that I create something and then I look at it for a while, I think well, that looks great. And then I give in and I just I have to put resin on it. It's just my thing. But I'd really like to get more into just creating on Canvas, and with some texture, but very abstract and simple. But I'd also like to get into using oils as well. And I've not yet gone down that path. So I think I'd like to experiment a little bit more with oils. I haven't haven't tried those.

Kellee 37:46
That's my new. That's my new experiment is oil sticks. Because I have tried oil paint years ago, and I was very frustrated by it. Because I love the immediacy of acrylic paint. So now I'm like, Okay, well, what if I paint in acrylic, and my last marks are the oil stick marks. And that gives it that that extra texture? Those are a lot of fun to play with?

Jane 38:09
Yeah, I can see that. My issue is that I have very little patience. So again, the reason that I like acrylic is because it's so fast drying. And I think that if I were to really dive into oils that they just, you know, I'm really looking at them and saying hurry up and dry. Yeah, I want to get to the next step. And, you know, with acrylics, you can layer really, really quickly. Where's the oil? I think I'd be Oh, I don't know, I don't know if I can deal with that part. But yes, it's such a beautiful medium. And I'd love to try it. I actually went down the road of encaustic I taught an in caustic module in my last mix media class, which will be part of this one as well. And that was that's a great medium I love and caustic. And we did a lot of different textures. Within the projects that we created. It was a tonne of fun included metallics in that as well. But have you done in acoustic?

Kellee 39:04
I haven't. And I'm very fascinated by in acoustic Yeah, very much. I have been for years. But I've, again, it's the oil paint. That's kind of the intimidation, you know, you know, that's one more level of supplies that you need that.

Jane 39:20
Yes, I know that the problem with working from home is the Purolator guy or FedEx drops off supplies all the time. And you know, I think he knows me on a first name basis now.

Kellee 39:34
pretty much me too. Yeah, I love it though. I mean, that's what we're all meant to do. I find for me, finding a voice or style isn't necessarily something that you need to stick to one subject so much or one medium. It's like how are those things connected? So for you obviously resin has been one of the things that's connected you all your different types of No matter how that evolves over time, but I think also, for different people it might be your colour palette might be the materials that you use or the subject that you're doing. But there's always like, if you're if as long as it's not so different as one day I'm doing still life paintings in the next day, I'm doing abstract. And those are so completely different. You know, if as long as there's some sort of cohesive similarity, then I feel like that experimenting with all the different mediums to see how you can have your work, show up the work that you've been doing, but show up in a new way. That really kind of pushes the envelope. That's where it keeps it fresh and fun.

Jane 40:38
Absolutely, yeah. It keeps it keeps keeps it interesting and fun, for sure. Yeah, totally agree.

Kellee 40:44
Well, we've been chatting for a little while here, and I know that I need to send you off to go get ready for the virtual art Summit, because in just a very short while, we're going to be live with that. And I am so excited for this year's summit. Because it's all about finding your voice. It's gonna be a tonne of fun. Yes. And I appreciate everything that you're doing to help support it and everyone if you want to go and follow Jay loves design and pay attention because that masterclass is coming out and probably about a month from when you hear this podcast recording. So you want to be on Jane's list and make sure that you get a chance to join her for her mixed media masterclass. I mean, it's gonna be so much fun that I may want to join it. love to have you. Awesome. Thank you again and we will catching you soon.

Jane 41:38
All right, appreciate it. Have a great day.

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