Artospective: Abstract and Transitional Paintings by Jane Efroni.

An Interview with Jane Efroni.

Who and where are you from?

Hello, my name is Jane Efroni. I was born and raised in Kent UK. After leaving school I took a year off from studies to work and travel with the intention of returning to university. That never happened! The year of travelling turned into ten and I finally settled down in Israel. Today I live on a kibbutz in the North of the country, the Western Galilee region on the Mediterranean coast.

How you got into this?

As a child I grew up in a pretty artistic home though I wasn't aware of it at the time. My father is a musician and photographer and worked as the art director of a greetings card company. My mother was a teacher and is an avid interior decorator and crafter. I don't remember painting much at home when I was young but I was always drawing. I had a great art teacher at school and went to a Saturday morning art club.

The interest in art and the desire to create was always within me. When I had my own children my creative spirit was rekindled. I spent many hours with them and their friends painting and creating at the kitchen table.Too soon they grew up and found other interests and the art supplies were put away as life got in the way.

What is your driving force?

About four years ago I had a severe depressive episode. It was not the first I had experienced but this time it made me realise that medication was not going to be enough. I needed to reconnect with my spirit and give expression to my soul.

I rediscovered myself through art and found solace in painting. It kept me sane! My studio became my retreat, my private escape from the world where I can switch off my unquiet mind and submerge myself in the joy and freedom of painting. It was the process rather than the finished work that drove me and continues to this day to be my driving force.

What kind of work you do and why?

I generally paint in acrylics on canvas sometimes using various mediums and plaster. Occasionally I will use water colours and collage techniques.

I love to paint large but have recently started experimenting on small paper works; it feels very different and I'm enjoying the challenge. My works are abstract and transitional, influenced by the horizon line; sometimes resembling a seascape or landscape, other times more graphic and urban inspired.

I rarely use a brush, preferring spatulas, palette knives and squeegees. I love the viscosity of paint, the feeling of it spreading over the canvas beneath my fingers....I find it quite sensual. There is a fine line (no pun intended) between control and release.....this perfectly reflects my personality; at once a control freak and at the same time having the desire but not always the ability, to just let go! In painting I find a connectedness I often feel alludes me in other areas of my life.

Please tell us more about your thought process.

I try not to overthink when I'm working.

I don't plan a painting before I start, though I may decide beforehand what colours I want to use often depending on my mood, sometimes just on what is available. I often start by writing some thoughts or words on the canvas and continue the process by applying and subtracting layers of paint allowing the painting to guide me. I like to scratch back into the surface, creating scars and texture. I paint simply to create, working from a place of instinct and intuition. There are no hidden meanings in my artworks; I don't like to over intellectualize art......I find it unnecessary and elitist.

What people see in my paintings is up to them. There are no hidden meanings here. I do however, hope that my art connects with the viewer, inspiring within them some feeling, emotion or memory. Art does not have to be profound or make a statement. Ultimately it has to be something you can live with and be happy with looking at everyday.

I sell my paintings internationally and am a member of several online gallery shops, however the commission is expensive, therefore I opened my own online shop where the prices are affordable for anyone interested in collecting original art to decorate their walls. I am represented and exhibited in galleries in Tel Aviv.