Jane Aukshunas

Painter (oil pastels)

Jane Aukshunas developed her current oil pastel techniques through experimentation in her studio. She holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, Massachusetts, with additional studies of Japanese art at Harvard University and fashion design at Parsons School of Design, New York City. Jane has also studied traditional Balinese painting in Indonesia. In her use of color, Jane identifies with the early 1900s European artists who were dubbed the Fauves (wild beasts) and whose leading member was Henri Matisse. Lately, Jane has been inspired by artists Gustav Klimt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Emily Carr, Paul Gauguin, Henri Rousseau, Wanda Ga’g, and Japanese wood-block prints.

I live in the Willamette Valley, which is rich with diverse terrain supporting what may be the widest variety of crops in the world. Consequently there is much in my field of vision to inspire the landscapes I create. Over the years, I have also traveled to Italy and Hawaii to draw some of the world’s most beautiful landscapes and have studied traditional Balinese painting in Bali, Indonesia. I find a deep sense of serenity in the natural world, and so, as an artist, I attempt to convey that sense of joy and tranquility, which is so often elusive in our fast-moving electronic culture. That many of my works are displayed in healing environments leads me to believe that I have captured some of that essence and that my art goes forth to soothe the world.