Tauranga Society of Artists inc.

Jancie Giles

Janice has made art in one form or another for most of her life. Often there have been long gaps when that wasn't possible. But Janice returned to this interest in 2008 when she began attending weekly life drawing classes in Waihi. Since then she has worked extensively with pastels, acrylics and other mediums, although work commitments mean Janice often paints late into the night.

Art in the Park was an early venture into the public eye, and Janice found the other artists encouraging and supportive. Since then, she has participated in numerous group exhibitions, and Creative Tauranga provided a venue for a very successful solo exhibition in January 2011. Her sold works are now in private collections New Zealand wide, and in Singapore , Japan , and Turkey .

In the past, Janice has felt frustrated with her tendency to be caught up in the details of representational painting, even if the subject material is from imagination. She feels this detracts from what she is trying to convey, which may be a mood, insight or message with both personal and universal meaning. To counter this she is currently working with textured surfaces, less precise tools, and incorporating media such as clay and pressed leaves into her work. This has meant a fair bit of technical trial and error. But, so far, she is happy with this new direction and the flexibility and potential of a more relaxed style.

Janice is ‘beyond delighted' with achieving the Tauranga Society of Artists Supreme Art Award at the Society's recent exhibition, and is thankful for the encouragement she has received from many quarters. Whatever else the future may hold, making art has secured a place in her life.

”Women Holding Up the Sky” Supreme Art Award at Tauranga Society of Artists Supreme Art Exhibition 2011