The Art of Jan Stapleton
(J Stapleton-Rankin)

Australian contemporary landscape artist

‘ Interpreting Landscape’ 2011

“ Conceptually I work more from the 'essence', 'structure' and 'calligraphic elements' of a landscape when I create an image. I paint mostly onto textured acrylic surfaces and build up the image with layer over layer of paint and marks. There is usually an interplay of transparent and opaque paint layers which creates great depth in the painting. The paintings take some time to complete as the results of each layer dictate the next. The painting 'tells me' where it is going. I spend a lot of time outdoors collecting material and 'absorbing' ideas from the landscape but the paintings themselves are completed in the studio. In past years (Orange and Bathurst) I completed a lot of oil painting ‘en plein air’ but the scale and manner in which I work now makes that difficult.

I work on several series of paintings- based on a ‘sense of place’. Over time each painting becomes part of an ongoing body of work related to that place.”