I am a modern abstract artist who works primarily with mixed watermedia. My pieces are combinations
of bold colors, brushstrokes, and simplified flat shapes collaged onto each piece. These elements create
a visual experience often evoking a wry smile.
My inspiration is born from a passion for Mid-century Modern and Japanese art and their common threads
with Finnish aesthetics using limited line and color, and simplicity of design.
Jan grew up in a Finnish-American family in a
small town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan surrounded by the beauty of Lake
Superior. She was taught the values of simplicity, organization, and a good pun. She graduated from Michigan
Technological University and was a software professional by trade.
She spent her earlier life as an artist wannabe
living in such places as upstate New York and Paris before settling in Seattle
over 30 years ago. After many years as a successful commercial software
executive, she found another passion to augment her creativity – watercolor
painting.
Jan has developed a minimalistic abstract style with a droll sense of humor representative of her
Finnish-American roots. Her paintings have been featured in numerous solo and group shows in the Pacific
Northwest including the Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation Gallery, Lynnwood Convention Center,
Kirkland Library, Schack Art Center, Gallery One - Visual Arts Center, Overlake Hospital,
Renton’s Carco Theatre, and Pratt Fine Arts Center.
Her art has been featured on the cover of Cirque, A Literary Journal for the North Pacific Rim.
She has won numerous awards including the Florence Lindstrom Founder Award at the Kenmore Art Show,
the NW Pastel Society Award at Women Painters of Washington show at Gallery One in Ellensburg,
and the William Radcliffe Studio Challenge Award at Kirkland Arts Center’s REDUX Auction.
She is a past recipient of the Vascovitz Family Scholarship for Drawing and Painting at the Pratt Fine Arts Center.
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