Jana Gaul
Germany
"How do we live a meaningful life? A life that goes beyond the necessary to shine in purposeful but simple elegance."
Jana's answer to this is: Elegance is primarily an inner dialogue. Elegance begins with a choice of clear intention. It is the art of countering the constant stream of distractions and numerous options with focus. It is the courage to withdraw in order to consciously give weight to a few selected things. Simple elegance comes from recognizing and consciously reducing things to essential ingredients. It is the clarity in the choice and concentration on a few significant elements that creates simple elegance - in all areas of life.
Her paintings show simple elegance that penetrates the noise of the world with quiet beauty. They are a reminder to focus on finding beauty and meaning within ourselves as a basis for powerful impact in the world. Jana's work is a tribute to our ability to choose consciously to create beauty and focus. They show elegant beauties that are only revealed through targeted reduction. They are a reminder to stay focused and within ourselves to find elegance.
Jana's perspective on painting is very design-oriented. Her motifs arise from the intention that the picture should radiate a certain feeling into the room. A feeling that you want to have around you every day. This part is the best and most intense part of her work - developing a motif from a feeling. In this phase, she collects ideas with great concentration, discards them, summons spirits of inspiration, weighs things up until she finds something that captures the feeling.
Over the last 20 years, Jana has acquired a wealth of knowledge in painting, in workshops, with artists at home and abroad and at academies. Here is a short excerpt: Academic Drawing at the Academy of Fine Art Germany, Bad Homburg (2019), Plein Air Painting - Felix Eckhardt, Portugal (2013), Experimental Acrylic Painting - Daniel Zitka, Kronberg (2009/2010), Free Oil Painting - Nino Pezzella, Städel Abendschule, Frankfurt/M (2010) and Old Master Layering Technique – Elena Primavera, Bad Homburg (2009/2010).
