Artist Statement and Resumé

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

I am constantly inspired, perplexed, curious, amused, and awed by the mad river of art and life. All of it influences me in some way, and as I sift through it, some stays with me and shows up in my work while other aspects pass on through, finding no resonating hooks in me to grab on to. Virtually anything is good fodder for creativity if it elicits a response and sparks a new awareness.

That said, the influences that most tend to show up in my work these days include the following: Mood. Feeling. Earth-based spirituality. South and North American shamanism. Mysticism. Faery realm. Animals. Music. Nature. Serendipity. Synchronicity. Sacred geometry and mathematics. Patterns. Childhood memories and perceptions. Wormholes. Time travel. Dreams. Subjective experience. The sublime. Nonverbal connection. Facing personal demons, finding grace, uncovering peace. Chaos. Paradox. Animal tracks. Fingerprints. Identity. Community and individuality. Thought processes. That which can’t be seen or measured. Fibonacci Sequence. Multidimensionality. That which is hidden. Addiction. Insecurity. The space of a question. Beauty is not a dirty word. Ozzie and Harriet were laundering money for the mob. States of awareness. Non-linearity. Myth. Habit. Timelessness. Hope. Everyone is innocent.

Most of my work uses color and texture as the driving force to evoke and explore the feeling being defined. The canvas becomes a conversation and a meeting ground for questions and contrasting feelings seeking collaboration, clarity, unity. Sometimes no collaboration is reached, and the question remains unanswered. But the time spent sitting with the question is important. Allowing oneself to stay in that space of not-knowing is equally important as discovering answers, and can be hard to stay present to. The act of staying in that non-knowing can elicit feelings of anxiety, frustration, sadness, wistfulness, even humor and irreverence. (For example, “Dunce Cap with Gun” or “Stormy Passage.”) Other images take on the purpose and purposelessness of a child’s fantasy and sense of humor. Their lightness is their substance. (For example, “Monkey Totem and a Newspaper,” “Garden of Earthly Delights.”) My work is intentionally non-intellectually driven: I don’t lead with my intellect when I paint, but rather, let the mind reflect on what is emerging, after the fact. In this way I find that painting becomes a dialogue between the unconscious and the conscious mind, and often is able to show me things, much in the way that one would interpret their dreams. I find that the intellect is an incredible tool and good friend, but everything works better, include painting, when the intellect isn’t driving the boat. When I trust my instincts to take the steering wheel, I find access to a much broader perspectives, and to pathways I didn’t even realize existed. And that means relinquishing control over what I think I know. It’s a willingness to stay in beginner’s mind (shoshin) and be the fool, in order to be open myself to new ground and new ideas. I like to let my intuition be my guide. The analytical mind can always step in afterward, to help synthesize and integrate.

Some favorite artists include Jean-Michel Basquiat, Cy Twombly, William Kentridge, Kathe Kollwitz, Richard Diebenkorn, David Park, Alice Neal, Wayne Thiebaud, Squeak Carnwath, Lucian Freud, Paul Cezanne, Egon Schiele, Sam Sartorius, Peggy Cyphers, and many others.

BIO

Jan Zoya is a Los Angeles-based painter and mixed media artist. Her training and influences have followed a diverse path, through art school, graduate art residencies, and additional art studies in China, followed by intensive studies with the indigenous shamans of the South American Andes, learning the energy-medicine arts of the old earth-based traditions. Other influences of her art include animals, nature, dreams, memories, the magical realms, and the mundane. Jan is also an avid fan of music, writing, hiking, yoga, hot sauce, and ethnic food.

 

 

RESUMÉ
		GALLERY REPRESENTATION / AFFILIATION:
		Art Pic Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Editions Ltd. Art Gallery, Indianapolis, IN Riveli, Lake and Wells, Chicago, IL
		SELECTED EXHIBITIONS (*Solo Shows):
	2013	*Recent Paintings, Bru, Los Feliz, CA
		BaconSocial art event, The Factory, downtown Los Angeles, CA
	2012	*Recent Paintings, Bru, Los Feliz, CA
		*Invoke the Faery Folk, Cafe Mimosa, Topanga, CA
		*There and Back Again, The Talking Stick, Venice, CA
	2010	Shades, Persimmon Studio, Oxford, OH
	2009	Totally Square, El Arbol, Cusco, Peru Lo Viejo y Lo Nuevo, El Encuen, Cusco, Peru
	2008	Nor'easter Voices, Art and Soul, Ithaca, NY
	2007	IDADA Members Juried Exhibition, Stutz Art Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
	2006	*Assorted Flavors , Beck Gallery, New York, NY
	2005	427 Colyton Street, Colyton Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
	2004	*Conjunction Junction, Harrison Center Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
		8, Circle Bar, Indianapolis, IN
		Wheeler Arts Spring Show, Wheeler Arts, Indianapolis, IN
	2003	Wintergreen Show, Harrison Center Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
		L.A.M.P., Chatham Center Fine Art Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
		‘Scapes, Harrison Center Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
	2002	*Recent Works, Clowes Memorial Hall, Butler University, IN
		*Full Spectrum, Vic’s Downtown, Indianapolis, IN
		L.A.M.P., Chatham Center Fine Art Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
		The Red Show, Harrison Center Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
		Neighborhood Show, Harrison Center Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
		The Pink and Orange Show, Harrison Center Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
		Allotropy, J. Mavris Space, Indianapolis, IN
	2001	*Recent Paintings & Drawings, Durwyn Smedley, Indianapolis, IN
		Toys Show, J. Martin Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
		Art Parde, Stutz Art Center, Indianapolis, IN
	2000	The Stutz Juried Show, The Photography Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
		Art Parde, Stutz Art Center, Indianapolis, IN
		The Herron China Show, Lucas Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
	1999	Sinsation, IU Fine Arts Gallery, Bloomington, IN. Curated by Judy Chicago.
		CORPORATE AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS:
		Lichen Creative Web Design, Indianapolis, IN
		University British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
		Newton Becker Bouwkamp Law Firm, Indianapolis IN
		Lincoln National Corporation, Fort Wayne, IN
		TV, MOVIE, AND MUSIC CREDITS:
	2012	Rachael Yamagata EP "Heavyweight" Cover Art
		"In Living Color" Set
		20th Century Fox Studios "My Little Brother" Set
		Hungryman Studios Set
		AT&T Commercial
		PUBLIC SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS AND ARTICLES:
		LA Talk Radio Interview, November 2012
		Nuvo Magazine (Indianapolis), Q&A Article, January 2005
		Visiting artist and lecturer, Indiana University at Kokomo, IN 2003
		Interview, Art of the Matter radio program, WFYI (Indianapolis, IN), November 2002
		ArtsIndiana Magazine, article with photo, Winter issue 2001
		EDUCATION AND RESIDENCIES:
		Vermont Studio Center, 1-month artist residency; painting 2003
		Stutz Artist Studio, 12-month artist residency (full grant, jury-awarded) 2000-2001
		Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China, 2000 (full grant)
		Indiana University Bloomington, Judy Chicago graduate studio residency 1999
		Herron School of Art and Design, fine arts, painting 1996-1999
		Indiana University Bloomington, BA