Interview with Jane Digby — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

For over 20 years I have been developing my own painterly language through portraiture and atmospheric scapes. I don't seek realism, but rather a catalyst that will begin a dialogue between viewer, painting and artist. My artworks are a cultural dialogue that concerns larger contextual frameworks such as personal and cultural identity, family, community, nationality and a journey with my own physicality and spirituality. I am obsessed with the painting process, but also enjoy running workshops, sharing my knowledge and passion.

I have had a number of solo exhibitions and participate in collaboration exhibitions in the UK, RSA, Zurich. In October 2019 I participated in the XIIth Florence Art Biennale.

Could you please introduce yourself and tell us how you started in the arts? and your first experience in art making?

I am a South African artist, a wife and guardian mother of Thulani (33) and maternal mother of 2 daughters, Jemma (21) and Tayla (19). Now at 51 years old, I am enjoying life and the balancing act of these 3 roles, more than ever. I have always been interested in the arts, following in foot steps of my mother whose passion for oil painting was contagious. Both parents collected artworks, so our homes were always adorned with beautiful artworks. I used to sketch for hours, loosing myself in the quite headspace of creativity. Though I studied Interior Design, I believe that this experience helped me enormously in many aspects of the art world.

How would you describe yourself and your artwork?

I am a grounded yet adventurous woman whose passionate about my homeland, South Africa, my family and travelling. Obsessed with the painting process, I am incredibly grateful to be doing what I love. My paintings are rich and powerful in their mark making and colours. I enjoy creating depth in my paintings using transparent and opaque colours. Always playing and experimenting, each painting is a journey in itself and a learning curve.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

My paintings and drawings are a reflection of my life, influenced by places I have visited, people I have met and experiences with the environment. Fascinated by many art movements, though more influenced by the Impressionists, I grasp at the momentary, sensory feelings of the portrait or scape I am painting. Painting that fleeting gesture, too beautiful to capture but irresistible. Just out of reach. My paintings are attempts at creating an illusion between reality and my chaotic headspace.

What emotions do you hope the viewers experience when looking at your art?

I hope that my paintings "draw" in the viewer, to provoke and encourage thought and dialogue between viewer, artwork and artist. There is a timeousness about my paintings and I would like viewers to get something different each time they view it, especially in life, living with them. There is so much more to my paintings that just the initial first sight. Look deeper, enjoy the crags, valleys and mountains that make up the paintings, that make up our lives.

When do you know that an artwork is finished ?

I don't know! My work is rarely finished just abandoned at the stage of my saturation, when I just cannot continue.

What has been the most exciting moment in your art career so far?

Every opening of an exhibition is exciting, however, being invited to participate at the Florence Biennale in October 2019 was a special moment in my career. Being in magnificent Florence, exhibiting in the same city as the greats filled my with awe and wonder.

How long does it take to produce one work?

I paint quickly and spontaneously, so the response to my subject is authentic and fresh in the now. I prefer to paint a painting in one session though I may come and touch up certain areas days or weeks later once my "high" has settled and I can judge it more subjectively.

What exciting projects are you working on right now?

I feel like a have a huge blank canvas in front of me at the moment. I haven't set myself any specific deadlines as yet for 2020, but my focus is to get right back into my studio in the New Year and get playing and creating. There are so many exciting opportunities that I need to channel my focus on a few and not try to do all.