Jane Aukshunas
Phone: 503-356-5858
E-mail: jane@janeaukshunas.com
www.janeaukshunas.com

The soothing and regenerative power of nature has had a profound influence on me throughout my life. I find a deep sense of serenity in the natural world. As an artist, I attempt to convey that by capturing the serenity that is so often lacking in our frantic mobile phone and email culture. That many of my works are displayed in hospitals and the offices of health professionals leads me to believe that I have captured that essence of tranquility and that the feeling tones in my art help to soothe people's emotions.

I live in the Northwest in a region with diverse terrain that is rich with what may be the widest variety of crops in the world. Consequently there is much in my environment to inspire the landscapes I create.

Imbued at once with both a lush sensuality and an edgy geometry, my colorful, graphic landscapes hearken back to the 1930s’ midwestern regionalist style of such artists as Thomas Hart Benton and Grant Wood. My work has been likened to “Grant Wood on acid.” In my use of color, I identify with the early 1900s European artists who were dubbed the Fauves (wild beasts) whose leading member was Henri Matisse. Other artists who influence me on an ongoing basis include Georgia O’Keeffe, Emily Carr, Paul Gauguin, Henri Rousseau, Wanda Ga’g, and Susan Bennerstrom.

I use thick applications of richly colored oil pastels to create works reflecting my love of rhythm, music, and movement.  Vibrant color and sensuality of line give my work a playful and contemporary feeling. Maybe because my formal art education is rooted in design, I like to pare down the world around me to the essential elements, shapes, and colors that are the crux of my imagery.

I want my art to grab people, to get an emotional hold on them. Because I feel spiritually and emotionally well-balanced, I place a high value on calm, order, and beauty.

In recent years, I have created art fair posters for two major art fairs in Salem and Corvallis, Oregon, and my artwork is currently appearing on wine labels for vintages produced in the Willamette Valley and Australia.