We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Pauline Jans. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Pauline below.
Pauline, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
I don’t know that I ever thought creating abstract art would be easy. We’ve all heard the saying “Oh, my kid could do that”, but that isn’t something I ever believed. I grew up on a farm. I knew that pretty much everything requires work.
I was drawn to abstract art-making for personal reasons. I wanted to create expressively without external influence. Of course, we are all influenced in some way, but I wanted to find my own personal expression from the very start. That need may have come from being 1 in a family of 9. The discovery of my personal voice has come a bit later for me.
When I began painting abstractly, I hadn’t a clue what I was doing. I often had and still do have, many questions circling through my mind. I research a great deal to find answers to those curiosities but that requires, for me, a lot of self reflection. Why do I want to make art? What am I trying to express? What do I need to be aware of and learn, in order for me to paint in a way that hits the mark for me?… Lots of questions and the exploration of answers and ideas.
This trajectory feeds into my work, both my questions and my answers. Those answers are often fleshed out by exploring ideas, trial and error, experimenting. Ultimately, looking at where my questions are coming from and how I’m responding, serves my art work. And accessing the ability to play. A tough one for me having learned to work hard as a kid.
Could I have sped this process up? I don’t think so. It takes what it takes. When one is ready, they move. Personally, I’m not very interested in gathering techniques to use in my art. I prefer to discover them in search of what it is that I am after, and develop techniques and methods along the way. Those are mine and feel authentic.
As an artist, I believe we need to practice a lot, take responsibility for our work and learn what we need in order to create authentically. From the handful of courses I’ve taken, the truth is, that the bulk of what I know is generally from my own exploration and experience. Reading or watching isn’t what makes good art. It’s staying curious, exploring and learning about my materials, my driver, and what I can do to express myself in the most genuine way.
We certainly need to know about colour, composition, materials etc and then that knowledge needs to be implemented, incorporated and practiced in order for it to be engrained and allow us to tap into our intuition to express authentically.
Curiosity, commitment, gumption, and self acceptance, are some of things I feel are imperative in order to move forward in art. Embrace honesty and courage to acknowledge where we may fall short and do what it takes to learn your craft.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Luckily for me, I love working. Anything I do, I commit myself to it. That doesn’t mean I’m great at everything,… only the things I’ve committed to. My upbringing prepared me to be an artist in that I learned how to persevere. It didn’t provide me with much time for play however,… that is one of the things I constantly push to draw into my regular practice.
I’ve had professional careers that prepared me with skills that all serve my current focus. Besides making my art, I also mentor artists, as well as provide courses to assist artists in their creative endeavours. I’m particular about what I offer as teaching. I’m mainly interested in helping artists find and define their own way and their art.
My Intuitive Composition Course was initially created as a 6 week course and offered in 2021. It was a huge success and has since gone through several enhancements to include even more helpful information and time for artists to practice, now landing it at 9 weeks. The course has run 5 times helping and encouraging almost 400 artists. Fortunately I’ve never had over 100 artists through at a time as I give each participant one-to-one feedback on work they share. So it’s pretty intense for me as well as the artists.
I also run a mentorship called ICMe that artists who have gone through Intuitive Composition are invited to join after completing the course. Again, I keep the numbers manageable so I can give personal attention to each artist.
Currently I have 2 other courses, Creative Compass – Source of Voice & Style, and Abstraction Of The Landscape. These are stand alone courses, shorter, at a lower price point and are geared at helping artists find their own authentic pathway with rich and practical points and examples to guide them in addressing those unique topics.
Right alongside mentoring artists is my own art practice, where I endeavour to do as the artists I mentor,… continuously strive to create my art and express using my own unique voice. Currently my artwork can be seen on social media, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Linked In, as well as on my website, Pauline Jans Art where there is also the ability to purchase. My work can be seen in the flesh at my Okanagan studio via appointment as well as at The Avenue Gallery in Oak Bay, Victoria on Vancouver Island where I have been represented since 2022.
When I reflect upon how my life is today, living in wine country in the Okanagan BC over the last 12 years versus the careers I’ve had in both Vancouver and Toronto, I’d say, having my own business, creating art and mentoring other artists is my greatest accomplishment and for what I am most proud of. Most of what I have created here has come from sheer exploration and the courage to jump in and do it. All of my courses and mentoring are online, all of which I designed myself, as well as my own website, with no courses to show me how. I just figure things out. This is my secret power.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I love the list of questions I had to choose from in sharing more with you.
One of these questions is about lessons I’ve had to unlearn, and another is about a particular goal or mission I have that drives my creative journey.
Something I have had the good fortune of experiencing is having a creative coach for the last few years. I too offer this type of mentoring to artists. If I could have had a mentor earlier on in my creative journey, I believe that would have been hugely beneficial to me.
The reason why I mentioned the first two questions is because one of the things that drives my creative journey is unlearning or letting go of things that do not serve me or my creative practice. My coach reminds me to hold fast to this mission and my art supports that as well.
Art making is tricky. Besides the plethora of skills one needs to learn & develop, the knowledge one must attain and practice, and the actual act of making art that feels genuine, there’s that tiny fact that in the end, we get a “product”. And that product can be sold. One of the biggest trip-ups I’ve noticed in mentoring artists is that tiny detail of selling work. Which is wonderful by the way, but it can mess with your mind.
Art-making is often very personal but one can easily get side tracked by product-focus or even looking elsewhere at other people’s work. What I’ve learned and coach others to notice, is that it’s incredibly important to regularly circle back to our “why we make art” and keep our eye on that prize. Being mindful of where our head is at and connect back to heart when making our art makes for a much more joyful and rewarding experience and… makes unique art. This is what I am after.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
The aforementioned leads perfectly into this next topic.
Why does an artist making abstract art? What’s it all about?
The way I describe my creative practice and the reason I chose abstraction over representational is this…
Painting abstractly offers a means of expressing myself in ways that words don’t quite convey. It’s also a wonderful avenue of connection for both viewers and collectors. During my creative process, my personal experiences, both internal and external, become embedded in my art. I explore colours, shapes, lines, textures, even the division of space in order to create a feeling that reflects what I am experiencing about a certain something,… that could be nature, a challenge, something I love or something I long to understand.
Creating abstract art is also incredibly challenging, which circles back to an earlier statement I made,… that I love to work. I love figuring things out, organizing chaos in order to understand. I also love imagination and abstract art has the ability to fire that up, for anyone willing to look at it and get curious. Curiosity is the fuel that keeps us striving, learning and enjoying a life enriched with newness and vitality.
It may not always make sense when someone initially looks at abstract art, but if we stay open and curious, it’s amazing what can come forward through the mind and awareness. Something new, something different, a fresh experience or perspective, a connection, an understanding, beyond words.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts on this!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.paulinejansart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulinejansart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulinejansart/
- Linkedin: Pauline Jans
- Youtube: Pauline Jans Art
- Other: Pinterest: Pauline Jans Art
Image Credits
Pauline Jans Art