Jane Fielder
“My art, like life, is a never ending journey. I never know what’s coming next.”
Throughout my life I have had the desire to create, with a particular interest in colour, texture and pattern. Ever the optimist, I am drawn to bright, cheerful colours and I believe that good can be found in most situations; reflected in my work which is often vibrant with quirky humour.
A prolific artist, I enjoy the spontaneity and freedom of experimenting with both subject matter and media, taking great pleasure in the unexpected outcomes as well as the process itself. The joy and excitement of painting never ceases to amaze me – it is like having a huge parcel to unwrap each day, full of surprises.
Preferring not to adhere to any rigid theme, I like my work to be an ever-evolving process, progressing and constantly changing; although certain connecting threads run through my work as I find myself returning again and again to particular areas of interest. The ideas of ageing, life as a race against time as well as seeking to find beauty out of ‘ugliness’ and order out of chaos are frequently visited. I love to play.
From within these recurring themes came my quirky urban landscapes that have affectionately come to be known as ‘Janescapes’. Many explore the grey towns around Bingley in a celebratory way, with bright flecks of colour and humorous incidents reflecting the vibrancy that people bring to the monochrome landscapes.
In 1995 I answered an advert in The Keighley News looking for adventurous artists, the result of which has been life changing. Meeting and forming Aire Valley Arts enabled me to transition from a solitary painter to a professional artist, giving me the confidence to show my work in local and international exhibitions, leading me to open my own gallery in 2004. I ran The Bingley Gallery until 2019, handing over the reins in 2019 to David Starley, who has a permanent selection of my work on show. To my delight I have collections throughout England and Europe and as far afield as New Zealand and Bermuda.
Highlights of my career include regular solo exhibitions at Duncan Campbell Gallery, London; appearing on the plinth for Anthony Gormley’s One and Other Show at Trafalgar Square in 2009; my 2015 solo exhibition at Gallery 8 in Shanghai following a three week residency in China; finalist in the Sunday Times Watercolour Competition 2014 and 2020 (exhibited at The Mall Galleries, London); selections for The Millinery Works Contemporary British Artists Show (Islington, London) 2015; and in 2020 I had two pieces selected for the ING Discerning Eye.
Email janefielder@hotmail.com
Phone +44 1274 551939
Instagram fielder.jane
Website janefielder.com
‘Contented Cows Bingley, from Sleningford Road’, 55 x 174.5cm (framed size), Nov 2021, original and prints available
'LOCKDOWN – The Night Pollution Slept, Bingley', 19 x 19cm (unframed image size), painted Aug 2020, prints available
With my LOCKDOWN print and my biggest ever Janescape ‘Man with Dog’ on the wall. LOCKDOWN: 41 x 39cm (framed size), painted Aug 2020
'The Perfect Prize', 101 x 81.5cm (framed size), painted Aug 2020, original and prints available
With one of my latest watercolours ‘The Perfect Prize’ in our recent Aire Valley Arts Exhibition at Bradford Cathedral 2021
Getting ready for the Keighey Creative ‘Perspective’ exhibition, Sept 2019, some originals available
'Rays of Hope', 98.5 x 78.5cm (framed size), 14/6/2021, original available
'The Watchers', 84.5 x 114.5cm (framed size), April 2018. I first started life drawing at Limerick College of Art when I was just 17, and have been doing it on and off ever since. For the last twenty years I have run a weekly life drawing class. I love to draw and experiment with different media. 'The Watchers', 'Woman with Pyrrole Red Dress', 'Until She Crumples Onto the Floorboards', 'Heartache' and 'Full Up' have all emerged as a result of these classes.
'Gone But Not Forgotten – Sunny Bank Mill', 52 x 42cm (framed size), Nov 2014
'Woman with Pyrrole Red Dress', 101 x 76cm (canvas size), May 2013
'Until She Crumples Onto the Floorboards' (from ‘The faint’ by Suki), 70 x 101cm (unframed size), 2012
'The Poet', 105 x 71.5cm (framed size), Dec 2012
'Heartache', 81 x 110cm (framed size), 2010. This piece, as well as 'Full Up', 'Detachment 8' and 'Detachment 9', all explore the fragility of life, particularly the effects of mental disturbance on its victims and their families. These paintings are a response to my mother's stroke and mental health/anxiety issues in a broader sense.
'Full Up', 81 x 110cm (framed size), 2010
'Detachment 8' (left) and 'Detachment 9' (right), both 52 x 52cm (framed size), 2010