Born in England in 1938, j'anna was fortunate enough to grow up in a creative family. Surrounded by music, dance, theatre and paintings gave her a strong foundation for her own artistic expression. J'anna describes her early years as “a little crazy but loads of fun”.
It wasn't until 1970 when she moved from Montreal, Quebec to Halifax, Nova Scotia that j'anna became a serious artist. Since then she has continuously worked to improve her skills with the assistance of such painters as Ruth Wainwright, Charlie Cooper and Zoltan Zabo, Tony Van Haslett and Charles Gruppe. In 1994, J'Anna received a BFA from The Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.
Now living in the St.Margaret's Bay area of Nova Scotia , the majority of j'anna's work depicts the beautiful and rugged coastline of the lovely province. However she is not limited to this subject alone nor does she have any preconceived ideas regarding subject matter. Whether she uses sketches, photos or her imagination, she draws upon her originality and creativity to produce her works of art.
J'Anna's paintings have been described as loose and painterly but still having “disciplined freedom". She say's of her work, "when I first began painting, I relied of what I saw and tried to describe it, now I find myself stretching the boundaries of realism by creating a subtle bridge between reality and illusion...... I want my paintings to evoke an emotional response, whenever I get excited about my subject; I know I'll get the result I want”.
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