Today we’d like to introduce you to Jane Wheeler.
Jane, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As an artist, I started making art as a teenager in the basement of our house in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Art and music have always been a part of my life, weaving in and out. I had a career in special events for over 16 years, married Doug my patron of the arts, have two amazingly creative children Tom & Kaitlin and would make art as a side gig doing one art show a year while I was working full time. In 2000, I left my corporate job to raise my children, fortunately, supported by my husband. I was very involved in my children’s schools, helping volunteer & be a room parent. During those years, I found my passion, making art for the community and others. Bird Rock has this small-town community vibe, walkable streets and creativity.
Over the past 12 years, I have been working on beautification projects at the schools and the streetscape as well as private works for personal spaces. Creating beauty, harmony, and balance in my community is what I love to do, much like what the Renaissance artists were working on in their day. Since 2008 the “Benches of Bird Rock” mosaic bench series started out to repurpose some worn-out concrete benches along La Jolla Boulevard in Bird Rock and now have evolved into community place-makers bringing joy, inspiration, creativity, & words of wisdom to anyone who passes by. Each bench tells a story and encapsulates the story and essence of people from the community. I try to involve the community and my clients in the art process to bring greater depth and feeling to the art.
Lately, I have been creating personal mandalas for people and garden hearts to help create Personal sanctuary spaces. I finished my Reiki Master training so I have been integrating reiki energy into all of my work to infuse each art piece with high vibes. I am also very interested in memorializing people. I have been making garden stones, mirrors, hearts and other mosaics to honor a loved one or pet who has passed on. I do believe those loved ones are still with us just in a different energetic form, and I like to create a piece of art that captures their essence, their spirit, so we feel them near to us. I have gotten here pretty much one project at a time. One project leads to the next, and sometimes I have two projects that overlap and help each other out.
To me, life is a journey of discovery, and I would like my journey to be full of magic, fun, joy, and creativity. So, art and creativity are a way of life for me. I have practiced yoga for over 26 years and lately have been playing the Tibetan singing bowls & eclectic instruments for local sound baths to get back into my love of music. Harmony & rhythm flows through my art and my life, and I look forward to more creations where I can help anchor the light into this community and the world.
Has it been a smooth road?
Life is full of obstacles. Yes, there have been many. Technical knowledge always makes me anxious. I don’t want something to fall apart down the road. Not being able to source materials or finding out that my favorite pieces are no longer being made is a challenge. Deadlines are difficult when you have many other things on your plate. Keeping my spaces organized and tidy is extremely difficult for me. I create like a whirling dervish, moving from one thing to the next. My husband and I have had many talks about cleaning as you go. Sometimes I have priced things incorrectly and end up spending way more time on a project than what I intended. Standing an art show for hours with not enough sales to cover the booth fee was a big challenge. I am a worrier and will worry about all the details all the time. Sometimes it will wake me up at night and cycle through my mind. I can get overwhelmed with multiple projects lined up, trying to keep things in order.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am an artist. I specialize in custom mosaics for the community and private spaces. What sets me apart is that I try to really tune in to the project and the people I am creating for. I like to involve them in the artistic process, so the creation is not just coming from me; it is a collective creation; it is a collective energy. I try to create from a higher consciousness and regularly practice yoga, meditation, and the healing arts to help put me in that state. I create one-of-a-kind pieces personalized with reiki energy.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think people are looking to create sanctuary spaces in their homes and personal environments, especially with COVID-19. I think art will always be a part of people’s lives in some form, and I do think community art is being noticed and considered an important part of the community. It can uplift, tell a story, create beauty, be a changemaker for a neglected space. I think communities are starting to embrace artists more & work together on beautification projects. Artists create new visions for the world. They always have.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.JaneWheelerArtist.com
- Phone: 6198221120
- Email: dwheeler@san.rr.com
- Instagram: @JaneWheelerArtist
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/birdrockartistguild
- Other: www.contemporarymadness.com
Image Credit:
Pearl Preis
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