Jane Beals
Various Medium Artist
My love of art was fostered early on by my paternal grandmother, she hung my 1st painting on her bedroom wall and it remained there for many years until her passing. In my teens I won 2nd place at the Annapolis County Exhibition with a seal pup acrylic painting, Judge being Tom Forrestall, one of my favourite Nova Scotian artists. I am self taught however, my art would not be where it is today without instruction from David Ritchie (deceased),Christine Ritchie (who are not related), Kathy Williams and Aprille Janes. I am slightly obsessed with Vincent van Gogh (pronounced VAN GOFF, seriously!) and Frieda Kahlo. Picasso and Matisse are also favourites.
I am a true Gemini with all its dualities. I prefer to be an introvert 100% but get me talking about something I am passionate about and I turn into an extrovert. In the past I have played rollerderby and danced with a fusion Bellydance troupe. I love ornate over the top old architecture but I also love the simplicity of clean lines of a minimalist modern look. I have always felt underappreciated and misunderstood when it comes to my art and life in general really. I was always told that I could never make a living at making Art but I am here to prove the naysayers wrong. I harbour no prejudices as I feel we were all put on this earth for a purpose no matter what the colour of our skin nor our sexual orientation, everyone brings something unique to the mix . I am an advocate for mental health (& using Art for Mental Health) because of struggling with my own issues as well as losing someone who I worked with to suicide. I want my vibrant art to bring JOY!!!
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I have painted (watercolour, acrylic, oil), drawn, doodled endlessly on and off for 50 years. I have loved these things for longer than I can remember, vibrant bright colours, the beach, sunsets (& sunrises too), trees, sky, stars, the milky way, rocks (geodes too), nature in general, animals (particularly cats, horses, dogs, birds).