Amelia Jane is a multidisciplinary artist focusing primarily on graphic still life botanicals that utilise shape and style to explore mood in the domestic space. Each piece Amelia creates is a careful treasure, intentionally clashing her graphic impasto style against the soft organic forms of botanicals to create unique pieces that invite solace into the home.
Tell us a bit about what a day may look like for you as an artist. Where are you based and what are some of the things that you do in your daily routine? Tell us about your morning rituals, your cup of tea/coffee, plants, etc!
I recently made the move from Melbourne to West Gippsland and I am currently painting and studying from my studio at home. It’s so peaceful in our new place in Warragul, I am currently counting rosella’s that visit my backyard and I’m going to tempt more when I plant some Australian native plants and pop in a bird bath.
How did you start your creative practice and why? Are you self-taught, an art student, a full-time artist, etc?
I have completed a Diploma of Visual Arts and a Bachelor of Illustration between 2017-2019 and I am currently undertaking a Graduate Certificate in Business and wrapping up a Bachelor of Arts online through Deakin so I spend most of the morning studying and the afternoon planning and painting for my art practice. I love dividing my time between study and painting and I find the cross pollination between my humanities and visual arts studies enrich my practice.
Have you got a studio/creative workplace? Tell us a bit about where you create and some of the significant things that support and inspire your practice.
My studio is a work in progress, we built this home new, so I was able to designate a space just for creating and it’s just wonderful having space to plan and paint. It significantly helps creativity compared to painting late into the night in your bedroom (like I did during my undergraduate studies).
What are some of the ideas that you explore in your work and the mediums that you have chosen to work with?
I paint predominantly still life works featuring stylised botanicals in a graphic style. I enjoy intentionally clashing the organic shapes of my planty-friend subjects with my graphic impasto style which is inspired by a mixture of post-impressionist artist and comic art.
I paint mostly in acrylics; I love the flexibility and vibrancy of the medium. My paintings are concerned about the role décor and design has in our home, and the way in which we curate the spaces around us. As we are all spending a considerable amount of time at home due to the pandemic, the importance of how we curate our living spaces and what that says about us feels more pertinent than ever. The works from my Treasure Friends series specifically, created in late February, was pre-pandemic and celebrates our efforts to invite calm into our home through plants.
In an increasingly digitized world, how important is your online presence? And what are some of the things that you consider when marketing your work?
I like to think of my online presence as another facet of my artistic practice, but not totally encompassing of it. For example, my Instagram feed offers a more personalised experience of my art as I post sketches, a variety of styles and silly bits from my life on my story. This differs greatly from my presence in an exhibition, and differently again to my presence on my own website (which is more of a portfolio with little commentary). Social media allows those who are interested to see a more personal side of my work and who I am, and I utilise different platforms to tell different stories about my work.
Let us know about any current/future projects – Have you got anything planned in the near future?
I have. I have a series of paintings planned for released in late 2020/early 2021 featuring a brighter and bolder colour palette (think summery yellows and deep citrus oranges) that are inspired by the upcoming arrival of my first baby due in November. The future feels bright and in this time in space I am feeling inspired to explore a sense of celebration in the home through vibrant sunflowers, daffodils and daisies. This will be a celebration of colour, and these pieces will be another series of small works with high texture.
Visit our Stockroom to view our collection of works by Amelia Jane.