Jan Sasser Artspan Interview Visual Language Vol 3 No 9 September 2014

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September 2014 Volume 3 No. 9

VISUAL LANGUAGE contemporary fine art

Jan Sasser

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Artspan Spotlight Jan Sasser

When did you realize you loved art and wanted to be an artist?

I can’t recall a time when I wasn’t aware I loved art. Books, music, and visual arts were all valued in my family. As a child, I loved to draw and was inspired by the sketching of an older sister as well as my great uncle’s amateur painting and sculpting. When I asked for quality drawing supplies they were given, along with the imperative to treat them with respect and practice basic skills first.

However, family role models made their living in “more practical ways”. I didn’t conceive of art as a career choice until much later in life. I flirted with the idea of applied art as a young adult, but didn’t actually make the move to painting full time til pushing 50, after many years as a social worker. By that time, the backing and support of an exceptional spouse made the risk more feasible.

Who has been your mentor, or greatest influence to date?

I wouldn’t say I’ve had a mentor per se, though living in Charleston, I’ve had the luxury of example and interaction with many fine artists. While few are traditional realists like myself, there is always something to learn from one’s masterful use of color or another’s exceptional composition skills. The generosity of successful artists with technical tips and career advice often amazes me. I’m grateful to Rick Reinert and others who have nurtured my confidence along the way and “nudged” me at key moments to shoot for a high profile show or opportunity that paid off.

Who is another living artist you admire and why?

One of several who come immediately to mind is Mary Whyte, a Charleston watercolor artist of international renown. I’ve long admired her mastery of watercolor but did not recognize how exceptional she is until seeing a major body of her work recently in her “Working South” exhibition. Each piece is an evocative gem of dynamic composition, rich color and texture, and masterfully rendered images that express the character and personality of each worker and workplace environment. Pieces are all part of a totally coherent and integrated concept. It’s as though she “wrote a book in pictures” that tells the tale of a disappearing way of life and makes you feel you know all the characters. How can you fail to admire an artist who can do that?

What is your favorite surface to create work on or to work with? Describe it if you make it yourself.

I paint on prestretched primed canvas or linen. As a slow painter, I find these far too satisfying to be tempted to invest time in making or preparing my own. I love the “spring” of canvas against my touch. A good even medium tooth weave interacts beautifully with my brushes and varying strokes to create textural illusions while still being “flat” enough to allow precise lines and details when needed.

What are your favorite materials to use?

Simply, professional grade Winsor Newton Oils, odorless mineral spirits for solvent, and refined linseed oil as a medium. For brushes I like hog bristle for underpainting and certain textures. I like soft red sables for details, clouds, blending edges, etc.

What are your inspirations for your work?

I doubt you’ll be surprised when I say nature is my inspiration. Nature has always been a source of joy and renewal for me, where I am the most at peace. My husband and I love to walk, visit local rookeries and gardens, and travel to scenic areas when we get the chance. I’m always moved to share what I experience in my paintings.

Blackwater Mirror

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Artspan Spotlight Jan Sasser

Foraging Ibis

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Local Beauty

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Artspan Spotlight Jan Sasser

Nest in the Branches Right Page: Left - Top: Together; Bottom: In His Prime Right - Top: New Arrival; Bottom: Ruffled Feathers

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Artspan Spotlight Jan Sasser

In Her Care

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Morning Flight

Fine Day at Donnelley

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Artspan Spotlight Jan Sasser

Getting to know you Q&A What is your favorite color in your closet? It’s tough for me to choose a single favorite in almost anything. My mind doesn’t work that way. There is a wine purple I am partial to, but also a teal, and a rich royal blue. I tend to wear solids with black or blue pants.

What book are you reading this week? Right now, visual vertigo makes reading tough. Recently, I enjoyed “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed. It’s a memoir that reads more like a novel about a young woman’s experiences hiking the the Pacific Rim Trail alone. A very compelling read.

Do you have a favorite television show? No, but a few I like are The Newsroom, Fargo, Homeland, and almost any period piece that is well written with well developed characters such as Larkrise to Candleford.

What is your favorite food? Ugh, favorites again! How can you possibly choose just one? Fortunately, I like a lot of the foods I’m able to eat - grains, beans, green veges, fresh fruit, lean seafoods, and white meats. But, OH how I miss rich cheeses, buttery baked goods, and applewood smoked bacon!

What are you most proud of in your life? Artistically, simply that I’m still here, still painting, still showing up for shows and obligations with whatever small collection I can manage. Due to health problems and family roles it would have been very easy in recent years to give up and go back to hobby painting.

In the past decade I have seen so many artists come and go, often those with real promise. It’s easy to become discouraged by a tough marketplace or be forced by circumstances to stop and put your time somewhere else. To be a working artist is to be a small business owner in difficult industry and most small businesses fail.

Who would you love to interview? Possibly Da Vinci. There’s been so much hype and speculation around his life and work. It would be fascinating to the compare the publicly embellished persona to the real man. I’d love to hear him share the realities of his ideas and studio, to hear his reaction to art trends that came after him, and to explore his views on current controversies over the integration of technology in the artistic process.

Do you have a passion or hobby other than painting? What is it? I love almost any quiet activity outdoors that lets me “soak in” the sights, sounds, smells, and feel of nature - hiking, birdwatching, photographing, gardening, crabbing and shrimping, sitting on the beach, etc.

Share something with us that few people know about you. I met “the man of my dreams” at a birthday party for Mick Jagger (who didn’t show.) As an ex-mental health worker, I was pretty cautious. I had him pick me up at my sister’s house for our first date and I didn’t tell him where I lived til I was pretty confident I wanted him to know. Turned out we lived 2 blocks apart. We’ve been married for 25 years.

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Poised to Strike

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