We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jan Best. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jan below.

Alright, Jan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful projects that I have done have been commissioned work that is usually a gift in the form of a pet portrait or from a photo that a client has shared with me. I have painted pet portraits of pets that have passed and have heard the most amazing stories of how meaningful they were for the recipient. I have also painted homes and action shots. This fall I was requested to recreate a small painting of two women walking in Italy (from a pic I took on a trip there), to three separate paintings of different sets of sisters with their unique clothes and hairstyles, that one of the sisters was giving as gifts to remind them of their own trip to Italy. Most recently, I completed a fourth painting for a gentleman of either him or his daughters kayaking, from photos from the 1980s or so. These were fun and a challenge as the photos were grainy and colors unclear. I sat down with the client each time and he would clarify what we were seeing. I loved working on these and the flowing water that accompanied the kayak and rider. Each one reflected of an important memory of these people’s lives, and to be a small part of that makes me so grateful.

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

AFFILIATIONS
Oil Painters of America-Associate Member
American Impressionist Society-Associate Member
American Women Artists-Associate Member
The Art Colony of Gainesville, GA
The Quinlan Visual Arts Center-Gainesville, GA-Member
The Booth Museum-Cartersville, GA-Member
Monroe-Walton Center for the Arts-Member
The Bascom Center for Visual Arts-Member

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Several ways. Of course, to purchase original work is so vital-it can be found at any price point to fit any budget. Anyone can own a print or poster that you picked up at a chain retail store. To own a piece of original art is akin to owning a piece of the artist’s soul. The nuances of the piece are unique and carefully planned (although some “oopsies” will make a piece ), and no two pieces are the same. I suggest to a viewer that when an original piece speaks to you, take it home and you become part of its beautiful story. Another way is to help promote our work, either through social media or word of mouth, help us find collectors of our work. (I consider you a “collector” with just one piece of my work!) Lastly, support our efforts. Creating and showing our art for a mostly introverted group isn’t easy, and we feel vulnerable, so compliments and “likes” of our work (while sharing it) are always welcome.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Until 2019, I had mostly painted on my own, and only in acrylics. When a beloved family horse passed away, I painted him to help my grieving process. Fast forward a few months, and I was talked into selling for the first time at a local shopping event. There a wonderful art teacher/coach/mentor named Sara Oakley introduced herself and basically took me under her wing. She taught me other forms of painting (oil and pastel), but the best lesson that she taught me was that in loosening up in my technique, I would not be losing details per se, but would be allowing the viewer to hear the art speak for itself. I was so focused on every little detail and had not learned to allow my own personality and emotion to shine through. She is a master at loose brushwork and allowing the art to speak. Although I do like subjects that lend more to realism at times, I have found that I can still remain “loose” in my brushstrokes and allow them to tell their own story. I still have a long way to go, as I will still find myself belaboring a section, but I am trying to improve every day. I am still enamored with work that I see using limited brushstrokes to tell a beautiful story!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.JanBestFineArt.com
• Instagram: @jancbestfineart
• Facebook: Jan Best Fine Art
• Other: Etsy: janbestfineart.etsy.com

Image Credits
Kye Park, Jan Best