Artist's Statement
Jan Marsh developed a passion for reduction wookblock printmaking while cruising from the East Coast to the Bahamas with her husband Jim on their 35' sailboat. Jan began her artistic career as a large-scale portrait painter but because their boat couldn't accommodate large canvases, Jan picked up the wood carving tools she inherited from her father. Using water-based inks and hand printing on Japanese paper, Jan's gentle landscapes were inspired from her home in Paisley, ON and from her experiences living and traveling aboard their boat.

For Jan, "the simple idea of a carved wood block with the design inked and pressed on a sheet of paper is at the very heart of civilization. Originating in China 2000 years ago, the printing of books and illustrations quickly spread knowledge and ideas along the Silk Road to the Mediterranean and on to the New World. Today its commercial use is rare but relief printmaking thrives among artists everywhere."

Throughout her career Jan completed numerous courses at the Artist's Workshop, Art Gallery of Ontario, Ontario College of Art and Open Studio. In addition to her career as an artist Jan's experiences included years with the World Wildlife Fund, Account Executive with Parsons Associates, Marketing Manager at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Freelance Graphic Design, Copywriter at Malaren's Advertising, Columnist for the St. Catherine's Standard and Book Reviewer for the Toronto Telegram.

Her work was shown at the Southampton Art Gallery, Natures Millworks in Paisely and is held in collections across Canada, the United States, England, Ireland, Germany and Belgium.

Jan passed away in December 2011 and the Rebecca Gallery is honored to host a retrospective of her work. Jan will be greatly missed.

February 2012

Price Range
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