Jane Kell

University of Essex (BA Honours in Art History and Theory of Art , 1983).

I am a British artist living and working in Washington DC. I paint with oils 'alla prima', working freehand straight on to the canvas without preliminary drawing. It is a fluid, exciting process which requires total concentration. The main focus of my work is the exploration of colour and light, and I aim to push the boundaries with colour and form. I paint both figuratively and abstractly and find the two practices support each other: My abstract sensibilty with colour helps the figurative paintings and the rigour and discipline of the former feed into the abstract work.

In 2017, I participated in an international artist residency in France where I painted 'en plein air' for the first time, this immersive experience intensified my interest in landscape prompting me to produce a series of landscape paintings exploring water and reflections.  In 2018, I was one of five British artists commissioned by the Belmond Cadogan to create a series of large paintings for their prestigious hotel in Chelsea. This project gave me the opportunity to work on a far larger scale than before and the discovery of a new, freer way of using paint on canvas. Since then, I have continued to work on a large scale and I feel it has provided a new direction. 

In Autumn 2019, there will be a solo show of my work at The Old School Gallery, in Alnmouth, Northumbria featuring sixteen new paintings, also in October I will be showing a series of three large abstract paintings at Silson Contemporary, in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.