About the Artist: Jane Elias
A bit of a shy girl, but coming from a family whose tradition of artistry stretched
back generations, I found myself drawn to communicate visually and began
sketching and painting at an early age. It was in college at the University of
Minnesota that my talents were first put to the test publicly, as an editorial
illustrator for the Minnesota Daily. It was a fast paced, art-on-demand job that
stripped away my inhibitions and ultimately ignited a creative spark that is still
with me
But, ask any artist, those blank canvases can be daunting, and I was no
exception. On a whim, I took a woodworking class and began building
functional pieces of art that would come to serve perfectly as my own brand of
canvas - angel cabinets, sunflower chairs and turtle stools- I became an artist
that paints on "things."
back generations, I found myself drawn to communicate visually and began
sketching and painting at an early age. It was in college at the University of
Minnesota that my talents were first put to the test publicly, as an editorial
illustrator for the Minnesota Daily. It was a fast paced, art-on-demand job that
stripped away my inhibitions and ultimately ignited a creative spark that is still
with me
But, ask any artist, those blank canvases can be daunting, and I was no
exception. On a whim, I took a woodworking class and began building
functional pieces of art that would come to serve perfectly as my own brand of
canvas - angel cabinets, sunflower chairs and turtle stools- I became an artist
that paints on "things."
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As soul-nurturing and gratifying as art can be, it can be
tough making a living at it. My early days required
creativity beyond the paintbrush just to make a go of it. I
tickets and photography services. A desperately needed
root canal led to adding "muralist" to my repertoire. I
suggested, portfolio in hand, to the director of the dental
clinic, that "I haven't any money, but I have a little talent."
After painting a play area for children at the clinic, I was
hired to paint many more murals in clinics, hospitals,
nursing homes, restaurants and private homes all over the
United States.
I also found myself drawn to helping kids
find their own artistic voices.
I was a visiting artist in the Minneapolis public schools,
traveled to a remote village in Alaska to teach art projects
to K-12 students, and worked with neighborhood groups in
North and South Minneapolis to create community art
gardens with amazing flowers & snake fence pickets
painted by the kids.
Their enthusiasm and innate creativity never
failed to inspire me.
And then I married and had children of my own. Things
slowed down - a lot! Nation-wide mural painting gigs and
parenting aren't a natural fit. I stayed in the game with the
occasional local mural and a continued involvement with
community projects, but George, (now 9) and Gayl, (7)
were the real focus of my creativity.
Well, you can divert a passion, but it doesn't go away.
Whenever my children had friends over they would ask for
illustrations to color. I began using a sharpie marker to
draw Hello Kitty, unicorns, and dragons in a coloring book
style. I drew patterns on placemats I drew on magnets,
mirrors, furniture and eventually canvas.
tough making a living at it. My early days required
creativity beyond the paintbrush just to make a go of it. I
tickets and photography services. A desperately needed
root canal led to adding "muralist" to my repertoire. I
suggested, portfolio in hand, to the director of the dental
clinic, that "I haven't any money, but I have a little talent."
After painting a play area for children at the clinic, I was
hired to paint many more murals in clinics, hospitals,
nursing homes, restaurants and private homes all over the
United States.
I also found myself drawn to helping kids
find their own artistic voices.
I was a visiting artist in the Minneapolis public schools,
traveled to a remote village in Alaska to teach art projects
to K-12 students, and worked with neighborhood groups in
North and South Minneapolis to create community art
gardens with amazing flowers & snake fence pickets
painted by the kids.
Their enthusiasm and innate creativity never
failed to inspire me.
And then I married and had children of my own. Things
slowed down - a lot! Nation-wide mural painting gigs and
parenting aren't a natural fit. I stayed in the game with the
occasional local mural and a continued involvement with
community projects, but George, (now 9) and Gayl, (7)
were the real focus of my creativity.
Well, you can divert a passion, but it doesn't go away.
Whenever my children had friends over they would ask for
illustrations to color. I began using a sharpie marker to
draw Hello Kitty, unicorns, and dragons in a coloring book
style. I drew patterns on placemats I drew on magnets,
mirrors, furniture and eventually canvas.
As the seventh daughter in a family of nine children (8 girls!),
my parents either ran out of ideas or lost interest in middle
names by the time I came along and I was christened Jane,
simply Jane! and so I remain....
my parents either ran out of ideas or lost interest in middle
names by the time I came along and I was christened Jane,
simply Jane! and so I remain....
The seeds for Simply Jane had been planted.
Copyright © 2007 Simply Jane. All rights reserved.
Simply Jane. 4801 Nicollet Ave South, Minneapolis, MN 55419. jane@simplyjanestudio.com
Simply Jane. 4801 Nicollet Ave South, Minneapolis, MN 55419. jane@simplyjanestudio.com
| Check out some of Jane's talented sister's! Sister Meg www.watchhumansfly.com Sister Anne www.anneelias.com Sister Lisa www.eliasmetalstudio.com |