Life & Work with Jana Clinard Harris

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jana Clinard Harris.

Jana, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Four years ago, after a period of declining health and the diagnosis of degenerative conditions, I was overwhelmed with thoughts of what mark I was leaving on the world, what was I really contributing to it, and what was my purpose for the remainder of my life?

I had put my artistic life on the back burner for a long time although I was always finding ways to use my creativity. I had a new urgent need to make art a priority and I returned to mixed media collage.

My new style developed quickly with daily practice and years of pent-up artistic energy. I joined Instagram (late to the game, I know) and the creative community I found there inspired, fueled, supported, and encouraged me both artistically and personally.

Finding my tribe has helped me to find myself. At 53, I am finally a full-time working artist, I make my collages solely for the purpose of gifting the originals to others and occasionally sell a series for charity. I sell prints of them on my website with 100% of the profits used to purchase postage to mail the originals in Happy Mail.

Sending my art out is my way to uplift, encourage and bring joy to others and add more positivity and beauty to our difficult world.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My biggest struggle is my physical limitation, especially chronic fatigue and pain. I have so much I want to try and accomplish artistically, but a very limited amount of energy to work with. It definitely causes me a lot of frustration and can even lead to depression during the weeks that I feel my worst.

But I always tell others, “Any art made is better than none art made.” and I try to remember to be grateful for what I CAN still do instead of lamenting what I can’t do. It’s not always easy, but I keep pushing, and I often push my body too far when there’s a project I really want to do.

While that’s not ideal, quality of life is so very important, and it’s worth the crash afterward to do the things I want to do. Since my joint condition is degenerative, I try to prepare myself that there are creative tasks that I may have to give up eventually, but my hope is that I will find other ways to create and I am determined that it will not stop me from making art.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am primarily a mixed media collage artist and mostly use vintage and secondhand books in my pieces. I love that the beautiful illustrations and photos from these books are giving a new life to my work. I love that I take them off of dusty shelves in thrift and antique shops and bring them into the light with fresh eyes.

My pieces are always filled with nature especially flowers, birds, and butterflies, and frequently feature children that are full of curiosity and wonder about our world. I call them “Happy Collages” and they represent the world that I would love to be in all the time. They are scenes that form in my imagination as I put the collage pieces of the puzzle together.

The majority of my pieces are gifted to others, and I frequently ask my Instagram followers to nominate others who may be struggling and send them one of my happy collages to brighten their day and let them know that they aren’t alone. The profit from the few originals that I do sell goes to buy postage to mail out my collages.

I feel like this is truly my purpose in life, and that I was given this artistic passion in order to encourage others and add positivity and love to our difficult world.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My love of birds came from my dad and it’s why I use them frequently in my work. He was an avid birdwatcher and always had binoculars and bird identification books close by.

When I was little and it would snow, he used to gather me up in his arms, wrapped in one of his old coats, and carry me out into the yard to sprinkle bird food. He said I would ask to “Feed birds more supper.”

Every time I am fussy cutting a bird to use in a collage, I am thinking of him and remember his love for them and for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.JanasArtSpace.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janaclinardharris/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JanaClinardHarris