jane berke
Alpharetta, GA
A self taught artist inspired by nature, the human form, whimsical and rural images. My work is happy, hopefully it shares the joy I feel while creating.
MessageJane Berke is a self-taught artist, creating primarily in Acrylics and Mixed Media who grew up on Long Island, New York and currently resides in Alpharetta , Georgia with her husband of 49 years. While formally educated as a high school educator, she quickly sought out a creative outlet and graduated from the New York School of Interior Design…attending evenings while raising her two sons.
Eventually, at the urging of friends, family and clients, she tried her hand at painting. Having never painted on canvas, this was a journey of discovery and passion. Attempting any and all subject matter, mostly inspired by nature or the human form, she found joy in painting and sharing her work with a community of budding artists. It was thrilling to discover an appreciative audience for her work and unique style.
Statement
I come from a long line of creative women. My grandmother carved animals out of soap and both grandmothers were excellent seamstresses. My mother did beautiful handiwork, which at the time seemed boring and old-fashioned to me. Now, I wish I could duplicate the precision of those stitches! She also was an ardent collector of a range of artwork. Like my mother and grandmothers before me, I always dabbled in some sort of creative outlet, decoupaging lunch boxes in the 60’s, pouring psychedelic looking sand paintings in the 70’s, creating fabric flowers or knitting grandchildren’s sweaters, to name a few. I feel privileged that my family loved and collected art and exposed me early on to the works of great artists. Painting allows me to express and discover my inner self with every new canvas and I feel grateful every time I pick up a paintbrush.
When I was a child, our home was colorful, boasting a red wall in our living room and Asian rugs that displayed luscious shades of chartreuse and vibrant reds. I love vibrant colors and mixing colors and patterns, often gravitating toward mixed media materials, sometimes making my own papers to add to the collage, adding charcoal line work or adding a splash of oils to enhance and pop the colors.
Hailing from New York, it took me by surprise that pigs, cows, barns, florals (non realistic often whimsical ones seem to pop out of my brain) and country charms abound and seem to appear effortlessly in my work. I guess you can take the girl out of the City! My work is happy and hopefully shares the joy I feel while creating.
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