About Jane Knapp

My time is divided between Bath in south west England and the Maritime Alps of Italy.

This online gallery is a selection of work that I was driven to make by a desire to express myself or a desire to understand better what I was seeing and feeling at different times of my life.

 Alongside making these personal and private pictures, I was also working variously as a trompe l'oile artist, muralist,  theatre set painter and as a lighting designer.  

Some  pieces are excercises in observation and dexterity and as such are necessary to an artist to maintain a good relationship between hand and eye. I also use these studies as notes and ultimaltely they help me to be truthful in the development of my abstract paintings. These record  more than just visual experiences as they are sort of  "heart and mind maps" about the memories and sensations of places and like a map, many  of the abstract pictures are from a dreamlike perspective, looking down on the subject from overhead.

 The colours I use are very important to me and are either chosen to imitate those in nature (the ultimate teacher) or to relate to emotional responses. Like the legend of a map that symbolises particular features, different colours represent to me, different nuances of mood .

 I sometimes look at my paintings  and think they appear to be made by many different people . The reason for this is probably because  I like to keep experimenting with new materials, surfaces and subjects and i never want stop learning so I try to develop fresh ideas.

EHIBITIONS

July 2008 “Botanically Inspired Paintings and Lighting” Painting and plant inspired light fittings by Jane Knapp, The Orangery, Dyrham Park, Gloucestershire

October 2021 “Perspectives from Quarzina,” Paintings by Jane Knapp made during the pandemic. Palazzo dalle Meridiane, Ormea, Piedmont, Italy

August 2022 “A Sense of Place” Including paintings inspired by rocks and water. Palazzo dalle Meridiane, Ormea, Piedmont, Italy

July 6th -28th, 2024 “Allora e Adesso” Early and recent paintings by Jane Knapp, Palazzo dalle Meridiane, Ormea, Piedmont, Italy

Please contact me if you would like to discuss a commission or buy a painting . janeeknapp@icloud.com