| Jan Jentzen, an award winning artist, was first moved to paint professionally after a management career with AT&T. She had always felt the urge to paint and had creative instincts, but had never pursued it until she asked her neighbor, well-known artist, Elise Hammond, to take her as a student. Almost instantly, Jan’s passion for art grew and she wanted desperately to paint.
To see her work, childlike images of a sad-eyed clown, gigantic bowls of glowing fruit and flowers, large parrots, sea turtles, rural landscapes, young animals and people, one would see why Jan is known for her use of bold, hot colors. She agrees with Vincent Van Gogh’s philosophy that “Color in a picture is like enthusiasm in life.”
Another surprising aspect of Jan’s art is that she works in such a wide variety of media. She paints in watercolor, oil, acrylics, and pastels. She also does mixed media collages, creates mirrors and sculpture with found objects and jewels, and creates painted furniture pieces. “Its color and heavy texture that appeal to me,” says Jan.
Maybe that explains the magnetism of her art. Today, Jan’s paintings hang in homes, businesses and galleries throughout the area.
She has studied with prominent artists Terry Madden, Robert Burridge, Stephen Quiller, Betsy Dillard-Stroud, Vae Hamilton, Patti Brady, Caroline Jasper, and Judy Soprano and with distinguished local artists Elise Hammond, Kathy Cuiffi and Susan Moreno.
She is a certified instructor (MCT) for the Terry Madden method of watercolor painting and color theory. She hosts a weekly paint party for guild members at Southern Heartland Gallery and teaches Summer Art Camp for Children.
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