Artist Bio

Jan Gleaves is a British artist who studied Art at Roehampton Institute, London before gaining work at the Royal Academy of Arts, Piccadilly. It was during her early working career that she fell under the spell of many influential RA artists who were pushing the boundaries of colour, abstraction and form. Terry Frost, Sandra Blow and Victor Passmore to name but a few. A keen painter, with a strong interest in textiles, Jan went on to study Surface Pattern Design at Postgraduate level at UCLAN, before gaining work as an illustrator and designer.

Today, Jan continues to work as a freelance illustrator and painter, sharing her time between her home in Harrogate and her studio in Montreal, France.

Her gouache and acrylic paintings are both colourful and bold and collage remains one of her favourite mediums to work with. The south of France awards Jan not only an inspirational environment but also the incredible ‘light’ which has benefited so many artists before her. Jan’s work has been particularly influenced by Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh and Henri Matisse.

Strong bright colours dominate Jan’s striking work. She describes her world as inherently dominated by colour and shape. She uses collage to reflect and interpret the everyday physical world around her. More of Jan’s work can be viewed on her Instagram page.