For August we’re thrilled to have Jane Watson showing a delightful new collage series of well known and much loved Wivenhoe landmarks.

Jane talks about her work here:

I’m from a little village called Debden near Saffron Walden. I lived in and around Saffron Walden until I moved to Wivenhoe with my husband Neil in 2009.

As a self-taught artist, I am passionate about painting and collage. I love to paint, but I think my favourite form of art is collage. I enjoy the process of painting and printing on tissue paper to use in my collages. I use various techniques for printing on tissue paper, including making my own linocut stamps. I try not to use anything in my collage work that I haven’t created myself.

I find the preparation of the tissue paper for collage very freeing, as during that particular process I am not trying to create the final finished piece yet – just something that could become part of it. There are lots of happy accidents along the way!
I am inspired by the area where I live, along the River Colne. The sailing boats, the colours and the flora and fauna along the river are a great inspiration to me. I am also inspired by artists such as Alfred Wallace, Mary Fedden – and more recently Matisse. I think there is a naïve theme that runs through my paintings and collages and colour – I love colour!

I regularly exhibit in this wonderful village as part of the Wivenhoe Art Trail, and also in nearby Mersea Island,  Frinton on Sea,Tollesbury and Saffron Walden – as well as the art village of Montolieu, near Carcassonne in south France.

One of my career highlights was having one of my collages entitled “Home” featured on Channel 4’s ‘Grayson’s Art Club’. It only flashed up on the screen for a second but was very exciting.