Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jane Jaskevich. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jane, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I am an artist so I suppose creating art is my mission. It is not something I do it is who I am. It makes me whole and sane. The act of creating a sculpture not the finished product is what is most important to me. People will many times say how can you part with one of your creations but that is not how I feel at all. I love for someone else to want my work and have it give them joy since the creation of it has already done that for me. I like the artworks to leave me so I can move on to the next unveiling of a new piece. Creating art is like solving a puzzle. Your mind is constantly working for the best combinations. It is as if you give up control to your creative self.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a sculptor living in the Asheville NC area. I earned a BFA at the University of Georgia followed by MFA at Florida State University. My 3rd grade teacher called my Mother to tell her to quit doing my projects. She was not doing them so you can see I was always creating! I carve stone and wood. My themes have evolved over the years. I started off sculpting animals, then women with animals, then women holding masks of animals. A female form may be hiding behind the mask of a ferocious bear. I then let the animals hold up a human mask. I think I was exploring the different roles of women in a feministic way. I created female forms using famous artists images as masks to express the question of “is your work really art?” This is a question asked of many university art students. Well my creations must be ART if they contain a Chagall image!
I am presently exploring two different avenues to my art. I create marble deer with real antlers as a homage to my mountains I live in and love so much. I also embarked on a series combining wood and stone with a more simplified female form. These cypress figures are more gestural in form. I create objects that I hope bring joy to others.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My art is my therapy. I remember after 911 I was stunned like we all were. The silence all those days of no airplanes. I was living in Atlanta at the time. The horror of all those deaths was haunting. I created a series of Greek heroic figures. The first democracy in mourning. I had a person I loved die in front of me suddenly before his time and it was traumatic. After 6 months I returned to the only thing that eased my mind hitting on a stone to unveil a figure. Recently we in Western North Carolina mountains have lived though a catastrophic disaster with Hurricane Helene. We still live with it daily. Sculpting has given me peace.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Like many artist it is difficult to create a following at first. I was fortunate in that I was able to teach art on the college level thus giving me free time and funds to buy my supplies. Because of this freedom I am able to create art that comes from my heart and not something that is overly commercially driven. I was lucky that others liked what I liked to create. I was able to sell my art pretty much continually. As an artist one does constantly have to pursue galleries and outlets to get your work in front of the public. There is a balance between being a creative and a business person

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jaskevich.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaskevich_sculptor/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jane.jaskevich

Image Credits

Jane Jaskevich sculpture photos

Photo of me – Lauren Rutten