Jan Jahnke

Artist Statement:

My landscapes are not renderings but intuitive interpretations of nature. Textures of grasses, layers of drying leaves, and piles of stone. Colors of sunlight, shadow and decay. Patterns of branches, tree bark and pebbles in the sand. These are all part of the natural world that inspire me to create. Once in the studio, my approach is spontaneous and open to elements of controlled “chance”. I concentrate on detailed mark-making, texture and pattern. Multiple layers of ink - both transparent and opaque - are applied, edited, scraped into and reapplied. This process is repeated numerous times until the piece feels complete but still mysterious. I like having, not the answers, but having the questions and invite the viewer to participate in the journey of discovery. I earned a BFA in Printmaking from Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and taught screen printing there for ten years. I now work full-time as an artist in my Wisconsin studio. My work is in numerous residential, corporate and healthcare collections.

Selected Public Collections: United States Chemical Corporation, Milwaukee, WI; Quarles and Brady Law Firm, Milwaukee, WI; Medical Associates of Menomonee Falls, Menomonee Falls, WI; Prudential Home Mortgage Co., Milwaukee, WI; South Milwaukee Public Schools, South Milwaukee, WI; Art Awareness, Inc., Milwaukee, WI; Walker Point Youth Transitional Home, Milwaukee, WI; Briohn B