Janice Giffen’s work is largely representational, although often quite abstracted. It reflects her pleasure in using oils – the materiality of the paint, the joy of colour and the visceral effects which can be obtained. She lives in Oxford and has exhibited at OAS Open Exhibitions and at the erstwhile Jam Factory.
Her style has evolved over time – and in this series of paintings is based on the views one gets in the Cotswolds, the Wessex Downs and the Black Mountains in Wales. She is attempting to capture the sense of space and timelessness evoked by these places and the joy to be found in the shapes and colours. These works are a move towards a more expressionist form of abstraction, while clearly being recognisable as landscapes. The gestural dark marks provide the structure which is suggestive of land formations, and the oil glazes provide the joy that colour can bring.
Janice began to paint around 15 years ago. the first step was to attend an evening class at Lisa Jayne Art Studio which was then in Radford, north of Woodstock. The experience was wonderful, not least because of the stunning drive to the very rural studio after a day in the office! Her work has developed over the years through interaction with the local community of artists, attending a wide variety of workshops and learning from others. And lots of time in the studio. Influences for this series of works include the Polish artist Jurek Stajuda, whose pictures glow through use of glazes, and nearer to home, Zoe Taylor and Richard Whadcock.