Jane Gates

Artist’s Statement:

Abstraction for me is multidimensional, open to the emotional, spiritual and intellectual consciousness essential in visualizing and forming imagery. In my paintings there is an equal emphasis on content, execution and media. They are a synthesis of my love for painting, composition, music, hiking, and the study of various levels of consciousness in meditation. For me it is the process of painting that allows me to embrace, channel and access the energy of my psyche, making it possible to merge both my inner and outer world.  And it is the spontaneity of the paint that allows the experience in painting to become a celebration for me. Through this dance of painting I can find image even though I cannot always identify the source. The very act of painting helps to bring the events of the day together.  For example, in one day I may observe by chance young lovers holding hands, and take a walk in the woods; by evening I enter the studio contemplating color and composition. At that moment in time I hear the birds outside building their nests. All of these events and thoughts may enter one painting. I know this only after the painting is finished. So the process of painting enables me to portray many planes of life experience, and the energy that runs through me brings it all together.

The influence of Joan Mitchell, Jackson Pollock, Frank Stella, William de Kooning, Terrence LaNoue, Nick Cave, and Elizabeth Murray, just to name a few, give me the inspiration to work in the style that personally suits me.

Artist Biography:

Jane Gates was born in Toledo, Ohio. She grew up in Columbus, Ohio and attended Ohio State University. She moved to Wisconsin in 1978 and returned to college to receive her BFA from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and then her MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Her exhibition record spans 30 years and includes the international shows: “Art and Embassy” in Oslo, Norway, and 2 solo exhibitions at the Museo De Arte Contemporaneo Ateneo De Yucatan (MACAY), Merida, Yucatan, Mexico.

She was the recipient of the Pollock-Krasner International Foundation grant and a Development Grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board.

Jane has taught at several universities in Southern Wisconsin. She now lives and maintains her studio in Milton, Wisconsin. 

Jane Gates’ paintings are a celebration and expression of the magical and the spiritual. They seek to integrate the vibrations of the universe-color, nature and music through the process of painting. Presently she fosters Airedale Terriers for ATRA.