Burgess Hill as CommunityAd have on some many occasions stated is buzzing with artistic endeavours, a community of artists are actively making this little haven an even more pleasant place to call home, including Jayne Crow.
One fine example of exactly that is the Painted Virgin project. The Burgess Hill Town Council initiative to integrate art into the community by giving the dull grey Virgin boxes which are on so many of our streets a makeover. The first artist to transform a dull grey box into a colourful canvas was the charming Jayne so CommunityAd wasted no time in getting to know Jayne Crow.
Jayne grew up in Sydney, Australia, the land down under where vibrant exotic animals roam, which perhaps influences her animal-centric artworks. She settled here in Burgess Hill in 2004 and speaks fondly of our town, “Burgess Hill is a very community minded town; the people are friendly and want what’s best for the town. I love that we have nature right on our doorsteps in Burgess Hill and some very beautiful landmarks.”
As well as being fascinated by the history of the place she’s called home for the last fifteen years, Jayne waxes lyrical about the thriving art scene that is taking hold currently, as she tells us “I’ve only been painting for a few years and in that time I’ve come to discover a thriving creative scene in Burgess Hill. I joined Burgess Hill Artists when I had just started painting, they are such an inclusive group of artists who helped to build my confidence with my artwork.”
So, Jayne, what do you think it is about the setting of the town that inspires creativity?
The view of the Downs which can be seen from various points around town is an inspiration, and although I don’t paint many landscapes that view always makes me feel happy.
Also, the Green Circle and the closeness to nature in various spots like Bedelands Nature Reserve brings nature into residents’ daily lives which in turn inspires creativity.
Lastly, I think the way that art has been integrated into the town along the Green Circle and in various other ways brings inspiration.
As an artist how have you coped with the last 18 months? Has it been a prolifically creative period for you or one of reflection?
I coped with the first lockdown by unleashing my creativeness on my garden fences, which are now covered with murals featuring emus, frogs, butterflies, sunflowers and other spring flowers.
Later lockdowns were a bit harder, with the loss of my Mum and various other events but I still used painting as my way of keeping my spirits up.
Over the winter I designed a few more Christmas Cards for this coming year, to add to my Lost Santa Collection. My Christmas card designs always make me smile. Otherwise I’ve found that Emus are my go to painting subject if I need a bit of a lift, they always make me smile.
A lot of people during the darkest days of the pandemic took up a new creative hobby in aid of distracting themselves from the doom and gloom, why do you think creative endeavour no matter what form it takes is so important for the human spirit and one’s mental health?
I believe 100% that creativity is a healing activity. For those that don’t know my story, I had incurable cancer when I decided to teach myself to paint in 2017. A year later my cancer had completely disappeared and now 3 years later I am so lucky to remain cancer free.
During the pandemic people were dealing with a situation which created anxiety, depression, and all sorts of other negative emotions. Taking up a creative hobby allowed people to immerse themselves in an activity which took them away from their troubles. Most creative endeavours need a good amount of time to undertake, and people suddenly found they had more time on their hands, so it was a perfect time to throw themselves into a new hobby.
Creating makes not only you happy but others too.
Your art is so intriguing and very animal heavy which is absolutely fine by us; why do you enjoying creating animal art, what makes animals such inspiring subjects?
Being primarily self-taught I feel I’m still learning and experimenting with various subjects, but it is true I do always seem to come back to my animals, and if I had to categorise myself, it would be as an animal artist.
I believe that painting what you love is the only choice and I love all the animals I paint. There is something so majestic about elephants, giraffes well I love their huge eyes and gentle nature. My jellyfish are beautiful to paint and to look at whilst my emus are just comical and make me smile, and the best thing I’ve found is they also make other people smile.
During the pandemic I started painting Pet Portraits, which has been great and now every dog I see I feel a connection to, you’ll often see me around town talking to dogs and dog owners, I see their faces differently now.
I am a work in progress and will continue to evolve as an artist, I hope.