Jan Cartain

I was educated in Coventry and have loved ‘ making pictures ‘ since first exhibiting in a schools exhibition at The Herbert Art Gallery in the 60’s when I based my ‘Op Art’ picture on my understanding of the work of Bridget Riley ! Since then I went on to study art at Huddersfield Polytechnic and later at St. Martins College, Lancaster. Much of my work I am sure was influenced by this travelling backwards and forwards from the Midlands to these Northern outposts! I spent nearly thirty years teaching art in schools in Bradford,Yorkshire and later Salford,Lancashire. until I took early retirement in 2000 so I could get a studio and concentrate on developing my own work. I have been based in Vernon Mill, Stockport, since 2000 and seen it grow from 6 to 60 artists.

I work with a variety of materials and techniques and have produced a mixture of contemporary and traditional work on different scales. Landscape and figurative pieces form an essential part of my work as I interpret places I have visited through atmospheric and emotive studies in acrylics, oils, water colour and more recently, pastel. I combine my observations through sketches and photographs with my memory or ‘sense of place’ using what I consider to be the most effective media and technique.

My pictures are, I hope, a celebration of nature, inviting the viewer into the mood and moment of my journey from the ruggedness and extremes of our own coastline and landscape to the warmer, softer lights of southern climes.

I have been invited to take part in exhibitions throughout the north west and have a strong client base in this country and some collectors in France ,Spain and Sardinia.