Jane Shimmin

…the beautiful Lune Valley and the nearby fells and Yorkshire Dales . As I walk I absorb the colours and shapes both by my feet and far away in the distance.  The same views are never really the same twice.   I have a love of colour and a  fascination with how a view can change from minute to minute.

I sketch and paint whilst I am out but these are done quickly and are just a way to collect the information which interests me most about what I am seeing.

Back at home I begin the paintings, working instinctively.  Each one becomes a journey in itself.

I never have any idea of how they will turn out, preferring to respond to what is happening during the process and allowing them to develop naturally.

My paintings are not a depiction of any particular place but more a collection of memories from many experiences.

Recently I have been exploring painting in a more non representational way, enjoying the freedom which this brings. However, the shapes and forms I see when I am outside always still somehow manage to creep in.  

It is my hope that my paintings convey in some way, my feelings and experiences about being in the landscape whilst allowing room for the viewer to bring to it something of their own.

I live in the small village of Wray in the Lune Valley just outside of Lancaster. I have three grown up children and three grandchildren. 

I’ve always loved making and looking at art.
Whilst my children were growing up and at school I embarked on on a part time Foundation course in Art and Design and Lancaster and Morecambe College which I loved. I considered following this on with a degree course but at the time I felt family commitments would have meant I would be spread too thinly. 

I am a registered nurse by profession and spent my latter working years as a District Nurse.

Since I retired I have enjoyed concentrating more on painting/art making and threw myself into furthering my artistic education and development. I did this by a attending an array of workshops both online and in person, enjoying the opportunity to work with and learn from likeminded people.

I also took every opportunity to read about and view art in exhibitions. 

My painting is continuing to change and develop. I still try to attend workshops when possible and I recently joined a local artists group King Street Studios in Lancaster.