Jan Brandt

Jan Brandt Gallery

1106 East Bell Street

Bloomington, IL  61701

Printmaking, Painting, and Curating

janbrandt.carbonmade.com

website under construction JanBrandtGallery.com

Please give a breif bio. (Where are you from? How did you start? Is your background in art?)  

I am from Bloomington, IL located about two hours south of Chicago. Drawing, reading, and exploring the out of doors were my favorite activities.  Much of my childhood was spent on a farm and I was fascinated with flowers and plants, rocks glistening in streams, and the effects of shadows and light playing across the pasture.  I believe this early exposure to nature trained me to find compositional interest in unexpected places and forms. My first degree was a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design from Illinois State University in Normal, IL and my second degree is a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a Concentration in Printmaking, also from Illinois State University.

What continues to inspire you and keep you motivated in the studio?

I know when I have to be in the studio creating because I develop a stifling sense of ennui that only dissipates when I am back at work with printmaking or painting.  It is hard to explain the motivation, I just know I am unhappy if I’m not producing work.

How do you work physically? 

I go back and forth between printmaking and painting. I have arthritis and it is a good idea to use different motions to give my joints a break now and then. 

What do you find frustrating/ enjoy about your process?

It would be easier for me and I would use less supplies if I could plan out my work ahead of time and stick to that plan.  It NEVER works that way, though! I change my mind or want to cover something up.  But I think that is the way my work has to evolve.

 What is your medium/ media of choice? Why?

I don’t like to be fenced in by choosing a specific medium.  I enjoy looking around and imagining what I can do with materials, even if they aren’t considered standard artist’s media.  In Printmaking, I love transparent base and the way it allows colors to blend.  Over the last year I have been using dried house paint as a sculptural component in paintings and I enjoy the texture that offers.

How has your practice evolved over the years?

I try to evolve by revisiting former work and seeing what strikes me as working or not working.  Sometimes it is a muddy color, sometimes it is a line that could be more gestural.  I believe if an artist works hard in the studio, and stays abreast of what other artists are doing,  an evolution will naturally take place over the years-how evolved depends on how hard one works and keeping an open mind.

Tell us about your creative and conceptual process.  Where do your ideas come from/relate to?

I find over the years that certain subject matter and styles interest me and I decide to work on maybe one or two concepts during a length of time. Studies or interpretations of nature, especially the concept of macro to micro and the repetition of design and order throughout the universe fascinate me. Especially in printmaking I rely on a birds eye view and scale changes to suggest an insight into ongoing natural  processes.  I also interpret natural forms through dried paint in a nod to old botanical drawings.  It seems dichotomous, but I also am interested in figurative work, especially with the subject matter of women, children, and perhaps inexplicably, circus or theatre performers. Another influence is textile design, especially the geometric designs of quilts such as the beautiful Gee’s Bend works.

Who/ what motivates and influences your work and why?

First of all, I must give major thanks to some of my professors at ISU.  Their work and studio practices are quite impressive and their encouragement made all the difference in the world to me. Kudos to my BFA mentors Sarah Smelser,  and Tony Crowley, also to my former professors Michael Wille, Gary Justis, Benjamin Gardner, and Tyler Lotz .  Look up their work!  James Mai is an expert color theorist and I learned so much from his teaching.  ISU has great art faculty.  Also, Normal Editions Workshop is located in the printmaking area at ISU, and Professor Emeritus James Butler, Richard Finch, and Veda Rives set a very high bar for printmaking excellence.  Barry Blinderman runs the University Galleries and he and his staff  Kendra Paitz, Tony Preston-Schreck, and Gabe Johnson do a great job of bringing in visiting artists and shows that push the envelope and keep our art community current.  I especially have learned and grown through the talents and advice of the Printmaking graduate students Julia Goos Pence, Lea Friesen, Eleanor Jensen, Mitch Mitchell, Jenny Hansen, Jared Wittenmeyer, Nicholas Satinover, Megan Stroech, Lisa Lofgren, and Alyssa Tauber. 

Real life situations that inspire you?

Real life situations certainly affect me.  Life can be tough and wonderful at the same time.  Just like anybody, there have been successes and tragedies in my life and I believe these events push me to keep creating as a lifeline.

How do you think/ want people to respond to your work?

My hope is A. they take the time to look at it, B. Wonder a bit about what it may mean to the artist, and C.  take a little bit longer and allow themselves to consider what the work brings to them individually. I cannot ask for more than time and an open mind.

What was the last show you saw that knocked your socks off?

Mary Laube’s MFA show “Practical Joy” at the University of Iowa, 2012.  She received her BFA from Illinois State University. She is amazing.

Current adventures/ future plans? What’s next?

My biggest adventure is my new art gallery, which had it’s opening June 23, 2012.  We had about 200 people for the opening. I love the space, it’s in a former Coca-Cola bottling factory with high ceilings.  It’s my dream come true.  I also am actively pursuing shows in other locales and have one coming up in Chicago, IL during the River North Art Walk on August 3, 2012. I’m involved in a couple of traveling exhibits which will be shown in Austin, Texas, Dayton, Ohio, Anchorage, Alaska, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Canada, Iowa City, IA, and Chicago, IL.

Any advice to other artists? What is the best piece of advice you have been given?

My advice would be to push aside shyness or nervousness and just try to get your work shown. I believe every time you show you get a better handle on your own art and it forces you to get in there and do the work.  If having an active studio practice is what you want, get in there and work hard for it.  Listen to advice but learn how to filter it so it helps and doesn’t discourage you.  Find a few people you trust to bounce ideas off of, but learn to trust yourself too.

Jan Brandt was chosen by Ground Arts guest curator, Margaret Coleman, as the Ground Arts “Artist of the Month”.