Today we’d like to introduce you to Jane Steelman
Hi Jane, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I have drawn and painted since I was in junior high school. I began taking art classes in junior high and high school and was recommended for a special art summer camp in my hometown of Winston-Salem, NC. I was fortunate that at that time, The Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools had a great art program for students with annual student art exhibitions in Old Salem among the oaks.
In high school, I was the art club president and continued to be involved in art activities such as exhibitions, decoration committees for the proms, etc. Even though Art was my passion, I was advised that a career in this field would not be advisable. In the 1960s and 70s in the south, many women had three career options: teacher, nurse, or secretary. I had not been a successful typist and was not drawn to the medical profession, so I was guided toward becoming a teacher. I attended Appalachian State University, which was considered to be an excellent teacher college. I worked on a double major; early childhood education and Art. The Art was for me. My focus at ASU was pottery and drawing. After graduation, I got married, moved to Raleigh, and went to work. I continued to draw and won second place in the state Junior Women’s club competition in the early 70s.
I bought a kiln and potter’s wheel, built a shop, and planned to become a potter. At about the same time, I became interested in computers and programming. So my life took a different direction for a while. I worked in technology and education until retirement. I had a beautiful daughter, who became my focus rather than artistic endeavors. When my daughter was 16, I decided to revisit my desire to draw and took a class in charcoal powder painting. After that, I took a class in stained glass art and began creating stained glass panels. That was a new beginning. Since then, I became immersed in Art, started a business, i.e., Steelman Studios, and focused on Art full time in 2018.
I have experimented with every medium I can think of and am presently focused on pastels, stained glass and colored pencil. From 2018 until 2021, I was president of the Pastel Society of NC and am currently a board member as well as a member of the Piedmont Pastel Society, the Appalachian Pastel and the Wake Forest Guild of Artists. Every day I am not with my grandchildren, I paint, frame, prepare for exhibits, etc. I also teach private lessons in my studio. I am currently a member of the Cary Gallery of Artists at 200 S. Academy Street, Cary, NC 27511.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
If it were an easy road, then there could not be the sense of accomplishment one feels when others appreciate their art. It has not been a smooth road, as I suspect it never is with artists. Life got in the way of my passion for art, but I believe that anything we do in life adds to what we create. I believe that everything I have done up to this point has impacted the art I now create.
Struggles have been finding the time to devote to art practice. Malcolm Gladwell, the author of “Outliers,” wrote that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert in anything. He said 10,000 hours of “deliberate practice” are needed to become world-class in any field. One must devote time to practice if one’s goal is to become the best s/he can be at painting. Time is one of the things people lament about not having enough of, but it is important to becoming successful.
The business of art is very time-consuming. While other artists and I wish to focus on creating artwork, the necessary business activities often take time away from that focus. Some of the necessary drains on time are marketing, taking photos of all paintings, organizing and maintaining a database inventory of paintings, preparing for exhibits, entering juried shows, framing, transportation to and from exhibits, creation, and maintenance of websites, social media and the list continues.
I also think that experimentation is a blessing and a hindrance. I love to experiment and use different media. It has been fun but has taken me down several “rabbit holes” where I spend time on new projects that eventually go nowhere. In a recent workshop I took, Albert Handell said artists should experiment to find what they want to paint and the media they want to use and then STOP experimenting. Then paint and paint and paint or practice, practice, practice the thing you want to paint. This is sage advice and some that I have taken to heart. So now I am focusing on painting portraits in pastel or oils and working in colored pencil.
As you know, we’re big fans of Steelman Studios. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I believe I am presently most known for my pastel portrait paintings and stained glass, even though I also work in other media. I have experimented with various media and genres but believe my best work has been done in realistic portraits in pastel. Not only do I enjoy painting portraits of children but also those of beloved pets. Pastels lend themselves to the softness of these types of portraits. It gives me great pleasure when I present a client with a completed portrait that brings tears to their eyes and an exclamation of how I captured their spirit. I am usually most proud of the last painting I have done. I hope that is always the case since it means I am improving my craft. What sets me apart from others is an interesting question. I remember in art school that each student strove to be different, unique, and even shocking. It was their belief that this sets them apart from others and gains attention for their work. I’ve watched fellow artists change their style with the goal of winning awards. I see others produce multiples of items because they sell. Most do find a unique style and many have art that all looks the same. This seems to be desired by galleries.
I think that what may set me apart is that I create in various media. While I would hope to have a unique style of painting, I do not wish to create for sales or go down a path of creation only to win awards. I wish to paint for myself; paint what I love, and the rest will follow.
In the past two years I have been commissioned to create stained glass panels for some impressive projects. I enjoy creating these and seeing them installed in various homes and/or buildings.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I see that AI art will attempt to lure clients away from hand-created original artwork. The fine art community fights against this by not allowing anything created using AI to be entered into exhibitions/competitions. Sometimes it is difficult to determine if something was created using AI and most of the time the general public doesn’t care. They only know whether they like something or not. This trend could definitely put many fine artists out of business.
Another trend that has been explored is the creation of NFTs. Many artists I know and myself have been solicited by scammers asking if we use NFTs. Most of my colleagues do not deal in NFTs and don’t plan to do so. I have seen a presentation by one artist who does deal in NFTs and am not certain whether this is a worthwhile endeavor or not. As in most projects it is very time consuming to set up and manage. Is it worth the effort? I’m not certain.
Online sales of art will probably increase and today’s artists will need to stay abreast of how to accomplish online sales. This is very time consuming and a must for artists today. I also see smaller works of art being sold in our gallery rather than the larger pieces. This may not be only due to price but also because of the spaces people inhabit.
Pricing:
- Portraits of People range from $525 to $1500 depending upon size and complexity
- Pet Portraits range from $395 to $1500 depending upon size and complexity
- For stained glass panels I use a formula which may be found at https://www.steelmanstudios.com/page/8653/stained-glass-windows-or-panels
- Stained glass pet urn pricing found at https://www.steelmanstudios.com/page/12304/stained-glass-pet-urns
- All commission pricing found at https://www.steelmanstudios.com/page/8961/commission-pricing
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.steelmanstudios.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steelman_studios/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janesteelmanart/
- Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/steelmanstudios
- Other: http://www.artnc.me/
