Jan

Pulley

I’ve made art all my life from my first memory of drawing “handbags placed on nails” on walls depicted in my illustrated children’s books like “Snow White &Seven Dwarves”. I couldn’t imagine Snow not having ready access to this fashion accessory. I probably needed therapy at that point but the cry for help went unrecognized. At age 9, Mom enrolled me into private art lessons with a force at the duplicate bridge table, North Asheville’s Pearl Shedrick, who taught me perspective using vine and pressed charcoal on pads of newsprint screaming “Drop your perpendicular!!” By age 11 I had painted my first oil painting of a cabin in the woods Pearl displayed with her projector on a screen in her basement studio. I was taught the value of diamond shaped palette knives (great for rendering autumn leaves) and cautioned never to buy tubes of black paint (always mix your own from Ultramarine blue and Raw umber) or phthalo blue (you can’t handle that color!). To this day I shudder in terror looking at those forbidden paint tubes in my arsenal knowing deep in my soul I do not have what it takes to use those pigments. After my 5 year term with Pearl ended, Mom got me private lessons with Jos van de Meer, a UNCA art professor, a lovely man who did not terrify me although he did have a Dutch accent. Jos and I both arrived at The Asheville School simultaneously in 1972 where I enjoyed his tutelage until I graduated in 1974. Against Irvin Ornduff’s recommendation that I attend either Sweet Briar or Hollins college, I got accepted to UNC-Chapel Hill which had an art department geared toward abstract expressionism. I had no clue what that was as my paintings were representational and not encouraged. Robert Nelson became my mentor when he was brought in to head the art department at UNC-CH. Robert was a wonderful draftsman and lithographer who rendered bizarre mice in suits of armor. In 1982 I lived in Cortona, Italy for 5 months auditing the Studies Abroad program from UGa. Visiting so many important museums and historic locations, I painted and sold much of my work to locals thinking I was really on my way to a successful art career. But once I returned to the States and the tyranny of the calendar and clock, I got a job as a graphic designer at a woman owned design studio which supported a small woman owned advertising agency. My illustration aptitude served me well as a freelancer and art director. I went 100% freelance in 1987 and struggled with and against nascent computer software, a blessing and a curse. Decades later I realized a real estate license would support me better financially than painting the occasional pet portrait and doing caricature gigs. It is only now as a card carrying senior citizen that I have the leisure and wherewithal to get back into the ephemeral pursuit of making art. I am what I am. And I’m blessed I can still make a fist so to open paint tubes. Of phthalo blue.I am what I am. I’m blessed I can still make a fist so to open paint tubes. And try new things like Al fresco painting. And portraits from life. I’m running out of time.

I am what I am. I’m blessed I can still make a fist so to open paint tubes. And try new things like Al fresco painting. And portraits from life. I’m running out of time.

Acrylic, Acrylic(Duplicate__1), Colored Pencil, Drawing, Oil / Alkyd, Pastels/Oil Pastels, Pen/Ink, Printmaking, Scratchboard, Watercolor/Gouache

https://www.dogwoodbloomstudio.com

'@dogwoodbloomstudio

'@janjonespulley