Jayne Gaze

Joined Artfinder: Oct. 2014

Artworks for sale: 68

(6)

Spain

Updates from Jayne Gaze's studio

  • The past three years!

    The past three years!

    You may have wondered where I have been? It has been two years and seven months since the Vega Baga DANA caused a catastrophic flood (Google it!). Human lives, livestock, pets, businesses, homes and gardens were lost, some literally washed away. My Spanish studio sits in the corner of the garden and was flooded by around a metre and a half of filthy, muddy, polluted water destroying years of work, precious photographs and possessions, my portfolios, journals and sketchbooks, my degree work and certificate, letters from my deceased mother, hand made cards and gifts from my children, and so much more. I was absolutely devastated and heartbroken. In addition I lost my music recording set up, my art materials and equipment, books and resources but most sadly I lost the will to create, I lost me! Then came the pandemic. I was prevented from returning to Worcester to be with my daughter for the arrival of her first child, my first grandchild. I wrote one song 'Be Still' which with nothing left to record with I recorded on my phone but it still got airplay on BBC Introducing. I made one piece of artwork 'Even pitying hills would drop a tear' with a few bits and pieces that had survived the flood. This was accepted by Worcester Museum and Art Gallery for an exhibition in maybe fifty or a hundred years about the pandemic and how different people experienced it as expressed through their art. For a year or more just the smell in the studio reminded me of the flood and thinking about all that I had lost literally made my heart pound and my head spin. For another year I would pop in and out starting bits of work, gessoing over work that was damaged in the flood but still useable (most of everything went in a skip). But feelings would start to come to the surface that I just couldn't deal with so I would close the door and walk away. Because of Brexit and the whole 90 days here, 90 days in the UK thing (and some major surgery last September) I had not been able to spend a decent amount of time in the studio to make any headway. Call it procrastination, self preservation or maybe just plain old fear? So yesterday, April 10th 2022 I have made a breakthrough. I can't smell the DANA anymore. One of the benefits of a hot country and UV is that it does tend to clean and sanitize in an environmentally friendly way! I still go to empty boxes thinking that something will still be there but that's OK. I just need to keep remembering what has gone and if I need it buy it again. The important thing is that I have made a piece of work today. Beneath The Veil. As I was making it I was reminded of the incredible power of art, the healing nature of creativity, how it reveals so much about what is going on at a subconscious level and how much I need to start making again! The curious, curious thing about this painting is that however much gesso I worked over the underwashes, the underwash (even though several years dry) kept creeping its way back up to the surface of the painting. This is such a powerful metaphor for how I have been pushing my sorrow down even though I knew how unhealthy it was and that at some point I would have to let it rise to the surface. I was so afraid to remove the veil for fear of falling completely apart. Well I haven't, not yet anyway! My absolute fear has shifted to a little bit of acceptance and a lot of excitement and anticipation about what I can 'make' from a devastating and heartbreaking experience. The loss I felt (and still feel) was absolutely huge but if I can replace it with something positive and meaningful, inspired by those feelings, then I feel confident that it will definitely ease my pain. After a couple of hours of drying in a warm Spanish wind outside I have returned to the painting and again tried to gesso over the areas I wanted to be lighter. Still the colour underneath is bleeding through and it is even staining the gesso brush. I know this is all metaphor and very symbolistic but it seems however much we try to 'brush' over the surface to hide what lies beneath its not that easy! And whatever lies beneath will always rise to the surface if we don't deal with it! It even has the ability to taint and colour who and what is around us but more importantly who and what we are! Watch this space folks!

    11 April 2022

    09 May 2016
    THE ARTISTS JOURNEY

    THE ARTISTS JOURNEY

    When people ask me about my work it isn't a straight forward answer. An artists journey can mean diversification, experimentation and evolves over time. Having become recognised for my watercolours this is still what many people associate me with but during a year long residency at Worcester Cathedral my work evolved into textiles and a variety of other mixed media. This led me to experiment further with the idea of textiles and sculpture, something that I would like to revisit over the coming months. One of the reasons my shop is rather eclectic, but I like that it is, and hope you find it interesting.

    26 October 2015
    So true

    So true

    12 August 2015
    STUDIO APPRENTICE!

    STUDIO APPRENTICE!

    Meet Rosie, my new apprentice! Rosie has been keeping me company in the studio this morning which means that not a lot of work has been done!

    23 June 2015
    More work with oils.....

    More work with oils.....

    A good morning in the studio putting the finishing touches to the next piece of work in this series which is inspired by the movement of the landscape and the vibrancy of colour while driving around Spain in our camper. This piece will take a while to dry as it is layer upon layer of oil. Here is a small extract from it.....

    21 April 2015
    To frame or not to frame?

    To frame or not to frame?

    Deciding on a frame for your artwork is such a personal choice and leaves me with the dilemma of whether to frame each piece or not! Apart from work I have made on canvas most of my art comes framed as I enjoy seeing the finished article and sometimes the framing is part of how I want it to look. For the work I make on wood or board most of the frames have been hand made by recovering mental health service users from Shrub Hill Workshop in Worcester (where I used to be Resident Artist) under the supervision of carpenter and craftsman Les Simms. They are very well made, robust and coated in white acrylic look smart and contemporary, yet still authentic and not 'shop bought'. All canvas based work is made on quality stretched canvas, usually 12oz/350gsm primed Winsor Deep Edge canvas, which has deeper edges and can be hung unframed for extra impact. If you really love any of my work but the framing does not suit your taste then please do not hesitate to contact me to discuss.

    10 February 2015
    Certificate of Authenticity

    Certificate of Authenticity

    I am a member of the Visual Artists Association so all of my work comes with their official signed Certificate of Authenticity. Sometimes I don't want to sign my work on the front although most pieces are signed on the back but I also attach a COA.

    10 February 2015
    Careful packaging and a free gift!

    Careful packaging and a free gift!

    All work will be carefully packaged in bubble wrap and/or corrugated board, then posted either in a bubble wrap protected bag or a box. You will receive a token free gift which will be either one of my printed greetings cards, a post card or a hand made card and a personal thank you note from me for choosing my work. If your purchase is a gift to someone I can also include a gift card with a personal greeting from myself - just let me know, and the details. I will even gift wrap the work for you if you wish at no extra charge.

    10 February 2015
    New body of work

    New body of work

    After all the overland travelling through Spain, France and Italy last autumn and a trip back to the UK via the stunning landscape of Northern Spain at Christmas I keep coming back to fleeting impressionistic images of sky, mountain, villages and endless fields, crops and orchards, beautiful Mediterranean colours all meldng together. It is this essence of movement that I am experimenting with and endeavouring to capture in a new body of work. Starting with a small series of paintings on small gessoed boards using oil and a number of different tools! Watch this space.....

    20 January 2015
    My new studio in Catral

    My new studio in Catral

    I am finding that I work better outdoors here in Spain. The light is wonderful and I am surrounded by mountains, farm land, farm houses, trees the sun and the sky. It means that I am limited to working mostly early in the day followed by a siesta, of course! Having already explored further south and as far north as Italy my work is being influenced by the soft, muted colours of stunning land and seascape, varying hues of ochre, green, terracotta and blue to name a few. I shall continue to work with these colours and images over the following months.

    28 October 2014