The works of Jane Skingley

And she took some tiny steps

 to love herself.

Slowly whirling toward the rainbow,

 a light guide to her greatest love.

With colours like no other.

Enjoying her journey,

a wildflower embracing herself.

Growing wherever she chooses,

 in the stillness of the stars and the rhythm of the breeze.

Wind and pain,

 sunshine and rain,

A velvety night,

 a meadow in the sky.

And she took some more steps

 to love herself.

She doesn’t have a name,

 she’s a wildflower dancing free.

Just Call Her Wildflower By Eloisa F/Japan

Jane depicts the cycle of life in her paintings. Her muses are wildflowers, which she gathers on her walks for inspiration. She is interested in the overlooked, disregarded weeds and shines the spotlight on plants like Stitchwort, Celandine, Oxeye Daisy and Ragwort. In championing these flowers, Jane asks us to see their beauty by slowing down and appreciating the world around us.

Her compositions are unfussy, using everyday receptacles such as glasses, cups and jam jars. The dying and drying foliage becomes more fragile as she works to capture their essence. Her painting foretells a profound message about the impermeant nature of life and the importance of celebrating the now.

Several paintings feature vintage striped and checked table linen inherited from her mother. These fabrics are backdrops to her muse- flowers yet add drama and context to her still lives. She takes care to make the flowers and their receptacles centre stage while allowing space for internal reflection by leaving open spaces in each piece.

The paintings are created on board and have a driftwood-like feel with sanded edges, texture, sgraffito and flicked paint.

Her work is often rich in texture, as she is interested in random mark-making, believing that each mark has a beauty and energy that cannot be created through meticulous painting.

Jane wishes to push the genre of female flower painters and says she “avoids the ‘twee’ at all costs”. Her decision to paint ephemeral, fading flowers gives her work deeper meaning beyond proving she can reproduce pretty images.

Like many of those with a creative spirit, “she is a wildflower dancing free”.