Omni Blog posts

Jane Elizabeth ... more about me

Hello!  My name is Jane Shank.  I own Omni-Impressions Graphic Design Studio and Jane Elizabeth Art. I am a member of Iowa Artists, Southeast Iowa Artist Studio Tour, and Iowa Pastel Society.

Facebook Says my brain is 63% artistic 

That’s not a very big percentage in my book… Stuff like that is all it takes to put that seed of doubt in my mind.  People often ask me if I was always an artist? Well I didn’t base that decision on a Facebook quiz!  How did i become and artist?  Honestly, I didn’t know I was.  I knew I always wanted to be an artist but didn’t make that decision till much later in my life.  I think a lot of people know that they are an artist but afraid to admit it.   My dilemma was if I called myself an artist…”What would people think of me?  Would I have to prove it somehow?”

A little background 

I grew up in the midwest. I was born in Wisconsin and  When I was 7 moved to Prophetstown, Illinois  and again When I was 12 to Clinton, Iowa,  My Grandparents had a summer home on Madeline Island.  I spent every summer on Lake Superior at the family cottage with my Grandparents and cousins.  Sometimes I was up there for as long as a month sometimes only a couple of weeks.  Today I own a share of that cottage and spend as much time up there as I can because it’s a place I feel at home. 

I was the first born and first grandchild.  My mother and grandmother tried very hard to make me a prodigy child of something. I remember taking ballet and tumbling, swimming lessons, piano lessons, guitar lessons and most of them went by the wayside quickly.

I was my father’s son and a bit of a tomboy.  I loved to be outside, riding my bike, climbing trees, playing with friends, exploring by the river.  I was a very smart little girl but I didn’t really fit into anybody’s mold.  On my own I started to paint and draw.  My mother got me “how to draw books”, oil pastels and other supplies from the dime store.   I spent a lot of time  alone trying to learn to draw horses and other animals.  

My First Sale 

I sold my first drawing to a neighbor lady when I was 5 or 6 years old.  I wanted a quarter for it and she negotiated me down to a dime.   I am not sure if I was a artist but I was apparently a salesman from a very young age.  

My First Commission

During high school I was commissioned to paint a mural in the biology room.   It was a landscape showing above and below sealevel and the animals, plants and organisms that dwell at each layer.  I doubt that it  would be allowed these days… but my payment was an A in biology.  I took a tour at our last class reunion and was shocked that my mural  was still there.

I doubt that it  would be allowed these days… but my payment was an A in biology

I was blessed with some really fabulous art teachers and a lot of encouragement from them to keep learning. I struggled to find anything that sounded like a good plan for my future.  I graduated Clinton high school, attended Clinton Community College  and got married shortly after.

I left Clinton and moved with my husband to Washington, Iowa in 1989.   The artist in me wasn’t  replaced with becoming a wife and mother.  But being a wife and mother overruled my personal needs while the kids were young.   As my children got older and I had more time and I started to feel a void.  I remember being vaguely aware that a much needed change was around the corner but I really had no idea.  I tried many things not really understanding what I was missing.

When I was about 30 my cousins visited me from Montana and stayed for a year or so.  They got me started painting with oils and from that moment my pursuit began.  I began to search out mentors and books to learn more.

Instruction & Mentors

In 1998 I began painting with Donna Guy which continued on and off for 15 years.  influenced me by showing me how important composition is in art.

  In 2003 I mentored under Anita Swartzendruber  she taught me about how art tells a story.  

Over the last 10 years I have learned more about technique through workshops and on-line courses.  I have taken classes from many fabulous artists including:

Tom Nachreiner

Johannes Vloothuis

Alzora Zaremba

David Garrison

John Preston

John Evans

Cécile Houel