Q & A with Jane Hoggard
1. When did you first discover your passion for painting?
I had a fabulous art teacher in Yr. 10, Mrs Port, who introduced me to Phillip Clairemont and Colin McCahon, both NZ painters. My art teacher encouraged me to play with the picture plane and challenged us to give life to our drawings. In Yr. 12 I discovered painting and printmaking and the impressionist painter Marc Chagall who has always heavily influenced my work. He gave me an excuse to let my subject matter ‘fly’.
I put it all aside after school and only picked up a paintbrush again 6 years ago. That’s a big break. But a fabulous energy now drives the need to paint.
2. What inspires your paintings?
The landscape around me, the memories I have of my travels and homeland where I grew up, NZ, lines- everywhere, industrial shapes, nature, patterns, textiles designers like Marimekko, English textile artist Kaffe Fassett, German expressionists, people, birds, boats… pretty much anything.
3. Where do you see your art heading in the future?
I hope, with practice and patience, I see my work getting calmer and fearlessly leaving some of the temptation to overwork pieces to the side. I am excited about practicing, improving my work, getting better.
I embarked on this journey to make my mark (literally) learn about painting and pay the groceries!
For me, sharing my work as originals or in print form is important, it’s my personality layered on the canvases surface. Sometimes laboured, I am repeatedly conversing with the last layer and critiquing what needs to be there.
I approached FINEPRINTCO because of the calibre of the artists they have and their ability to reach many audiences. I am at peace with work being reproduced so many can have an opportunity to enjoy it.
I hope, from here on in, my quirky style will be enjoyed by many, and I keep changing, growing, and learning. I hope to secure a solo exhibition opportunity somewhere in Australia and make people smile with what they see.
Wood for the Trees by Jane Hoggard
4. Is there a particular process which goes behind your painting from start to finish?
I paint intuitively when I’m in the studio but not without preparation. I have been fine tuning my process for a long time and it’s still evolving. Drawing is a major, daily practice. I have noticed I lose clarity and painting doesn’t happen as easily If I don’t practice drawing. Painting calms me.
I will do many preparation sketches and composition studies and sometimes have my sketchbook there when I paint, but mostly I prepare a background using many different mediums and mark making and usually prepare 8 to 12 canvases at one time depending on how much space I have. It is then a peeling back process, and looking at what the composition offers, that’s the exciting bit, that’s when the problem-solving starts.
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