Jane Cunningham

Jane paints with oil and cold wax. She loves the tactile nature of the wax and the vibrant colors of oil paint; mixing the two creates a thick, rich medium that reminds her of finger painting as a child. Jane loves digging into a painting, scraping out shapes and lines, covering it and repeating it again, until she likes what emerges. Unlimited layers add depth and a quality of history that feels deep and alchemical.

More than anything, Jane's paintings remind her of dreams. Dreams have served as an invaluable mentor to Jane. They comfort her, they inspire her, and sometimes, they scare her. She never knows what to expect.. Like dreams, she finds the process of painting to be cryptic, changeable and a wild ride. Oftentimes, a shape or visage will appear out of nowhere, which surprises and delights her.

A blank canvas offers a wide gamut of possibilities. Jane never knows where a painting is going when she starts. Will it reveal itself immediately or will she be painting blind for weeks before it knows what it wants to be? It requires an openness and a deep listening. She cannot be too bossy or the muse withdraws and she is left frustrated, the fool, caught by her delusion of control. This is her cue to laugh and move on.

When Jane gets submerged into a painting, she is all in. She wakes up thinking about the painting. She carries it throughout the day in her mind’s back room, just like a dream, which is familiar territory for her. In her “former life” Jane worked as a psychotherapist, specializing in working with the unconscious, through dreams, meditation, subtle realms of consciousness and the body. There is an art to working with the unconscious; it requires the patience to navigate murky territory with a light touch. If you grasp a dream too tightly it vanishes, just like the creative impulse while painting. Jane finds this both enticing and exasperating at times. The not knowing- the mystery-this keeps her hooked. It keeps her painting.

Jane lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband David and their four-legged Floki. In her free time, she likes to hike the hills of Boulder, dance, ride her e-bike and spend time with friends and family.